Mobility in a wireless network

ABSTRACT

A system and method for mobility in a wireless network are presented. A user equipment with a processor configured to inform a network component of a closed subscriber group (CSG) capability of the UE. The processor informs the network component during capability exchange signaling. The processor informs the network component whether the UE is capable of detecting a CSG cell and whether the UE is a member of at least one CSG.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/160,923 filed May 20, 2016 by Mo-Han Fong, et al. entitled “MobilityIn A Wireless Network”, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No.9,380,449 issued on Jun. 28, 2016 entitled “Closed Subscriber GroupMeasurement Reporting”, which is a continuation of InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2010/051225 filed Oct. 1, 2010 by Research InMotion Limited entitled “Mobility In A Wireless Network”, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/248,406 filedOct. 2, 2009 by Mo-Han Fong, et al. entitled “Mobility In A WirelessNetwork”, all of which are incorporated by reference herein as ifreproduced in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

As used herein, the terms “user equipment” (“UE”), “mobile station”(“MS”), and “user agent” (“UA”) might in some cases refer to mobiledevices such as mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, handheldor laptop computers, and similar devices that have telecommunicationscapabilities. The terms “MS,” “UE,” “UA,” user device,” and “user node”may be used synonymously herein. A UE might include components thatallow the UE to communicate with other devices, and might also includeassociated removable memory module, such as but not limited to aUniversal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) that includes a SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) application, a Universal Subscriber IdentityModule (USIM) application, or a Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM)application. Alternatively, such a UE might consist of the device itselfwithout such a module. In other cases, the term “UE” might refer todevices that have similar capabilities but that are not transportable,such as desktop computers, set-top boxes, or network appliances. Theterm “UE” can also refer to any hardware or software component that canterminate a communication session for a user.

As telecommunications technology has evolved, more advanced networkaccess equipment has been introduced that can provide services that werenot possible previously. This network access equipment might includesystems and devices that are improvements of the equivalent equipment ina traditional wireless telecommunications system. Such advanced or nextgeneration equipment may be included in evolving wireless communicationsstandards, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A).For example, an LTE or LTE-A system might be an Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and include an E-UTRAN node B(or eNB), a wireless access point, or a similar component rather than atraditional base station. As used herein, the term “access node” refersto any component of the wireless network, such as a traditional basestation, a wireless access point, or an LTE or LTE-A node B or eNB, thatcreates a geographical area of reception and transmission coverageallowing a UE or a relay node to access other components in atelecommunications system. In this document, the term “access node” and“access device” may be used interchangeably, but it is understood thatan access node may comprise a plurality of hardware and software.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is nowmade to the following brief description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like referencenumerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communication system, according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart illustrating steps involved in signal strengthmeasurement, handover evaluation, and reporting, in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart illustrating steps involved in signal strengthmeasurement, handover evaluation, and reporting, in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating a process of configuring andtransmitting measurement reporting criteria, according to an embodimentof the disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating a process of informing a networkcomponent of a UE's CSG capability, according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 3C is a flowchart illustrating a process of using a CSG type whenperforming and reporting measurements, according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 3D is a flowchart illustrating a process of causing a UE todetermine whether to include a list of cells in a measurement report,according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of directing a UE toperform a handover evaluation one or more neighboring cells, accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of generating a measurementreport to include information related to CSGs and hybrid cells,according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of instructing a UE toperform measurement reporting with regard to a newly available networkdevice, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a system that includes a processingcomponent suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure areprovided below, the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implementedusing any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence.The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeimplementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, includingthe exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and describedherein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claimsalong with their full scope of equivalents.

As used throughout the specification, claims, and Figures, the followingacronyms have the following definitions. Unless stated otherwise, allterms are defined by and follow the standards set forth by the ThirdGeneration Partnership Program (3GPP) technical specifications.

“AS” is defined as “Access Stratum.”

“CGI” is defined as “Cell Global Identification.”

“CP” is defined as “Client Provisioning.”

“CSG” is defined as “Closed Subscriber Group.”

“DM” is defined as “Device Management.”

“DRX” is defined as “Discontinuous Reception.”

“E-CGI” is defined as “Extended CGI.”

“eNB” is defined as “E-UTRAN Node B.”

“EUTRA” is defined as “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access.”

“EUTRAN” is defined as “E-UTRA Network.”

“HeNB” is defined as “Home eNB.”

“IE” is defined as “Information Element.”

“LTE” is defined as “Long Term Evolution.”

“LTE-A” is defined as “LTE-Advanced.”

“MIB” is defined as “Master Information Block.”

“MME” is defined as “Mobility Management Entity.”

“NAS” is defined as “Non Access Stratum.”

“OMA” is defined as “Open Mobile Alliance.”

“PCI” is defined as “Physical Cell Identity.”

“PSC” is defined as “Primary Synchronization Code.”

“RAN” is defined as “Radio Access Network.”

“RN” is defined as “Relay Node.”

“RRC” is defined as Radio Resource Control.”

“RSRP” is defined as “Reference Signal Received Power.”

“RSRQ” is defined as “Reference Signal Received Quality.”

“SI” is defined as “System Information.”

“SIB” is defined as “System Information Block.”

“SMS” is defined as “Short Message Service”

“TAI” is defined as “tracking area identity.”

“UE” is defined as “User Equipment.”

“UMTS” is defined as “Universal Mobile Telecommunications System.”

The embodiments are related to the interaction of UEs, macro eNBs, andHeNBs with each other. In particular, the embodiments are related tomobility, or handover, of a UE from a macro eNB to a HeNB. Although, forthe sake of ease of reference only, reference is made herein to theterms eNB and HeNB, the present disclosure applies to other types ofbase station including base station subsystem (BSS), Node B (NB), andHome Node B (HNB). The embodiments contemplate mobility from eNBs, NBs,BSSs, and RNs, (macro network devices) to HeNBs, HNBs, microcells,femtocells, picocells, and like devices (micro network devices). Thus,the embodiments are not limited to only mobility between an eNB to aHeNB, even if the embodiments are illustrated using these terms.

Still more particularly, some of the embodiments are related tomeasurement and reporting requirements and conditions for a UE withrespect to one or more eNBs and/or HeNBs. Currently, several open issuesremain to be resolved regarding UE behavior in these cases.

For example, the embodiments address six known issues with respect toinbound mobility or handover to closed subscriber group (CSG) cellsand/or hybrid cells when a UE is in RRC_Connected mode, RR Dedicatedmode or RR Packet Transfer mode, jointly referred to generically as“connected mode”. A CSG cell is a cell that only allows certain UEs tobe serviced by that cell. A hybrid cell may service some CSG groups, butalso allow other UEs more general access, perhaps on different terms.

A first known issue is that current measurement events may not beadequate for CSG/hybrid cells due to low transmit power of these cells.In addition, when defining new measurement events, the criteria for themeasurement reports should be maintained so as to avoid triggeringexcessive measurement reports and signaling overhead.

A second known issue is that service interruption may occur ifautonomous gaps or scheduled gaps may be used for handover evaluation atthe UE. Thus, unnecessary handover evaluation should be avoided.Handover evaluation is a term used to refer to the process by which theUE acquires cell global ID (CGI) and performs preliminary access checkof a neighbor cell.

A third known issue is that in a conventional system, a UE reports allcells regardless of whether the UE is allowed to access the cells,subject to measurement reporting criteria. Reporting criteria should bedefined for a UE to report signal strength of CSG cells which are not inthe allowed CSG list of a UE. Currently, if a CSG is not in the UE'sallowed CSG list, such CSGs cells undesirably might be ignored.

A fourth known issue is that the UE might not have fingerprintinformation when a new HeNB is first powered on or is otherwise madeavailable. Thus, the UE may not report the signal strength or handoverevaluation information in measurement reports if the signal strengthdoes not meet the criteria otherwise defined for CSG/hybrid cells.

A fifth known issue is that, in dense CSG cell deployments, excessivebattery power and/or signaling may be used to measure and report alldetected CSG cells, even if thresholds are set. Excessive power and/orsignaling should be avoided.

A sixth known issue is that certain categories of CSG cells may not beappropriate targets for handover. Thus, techniques for distinguishingcategories of CSG cells are desirable.

The embodiments described herein address these and other issues.Embodiments are provided with respect to addressing each issue, andalternative embodiments are also provided.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a RAN 100, which may be a LTE orLTE-A network as described in the 3GPP. FIG. 1 is exemplary and may haveother components or arrangements in other embodiments.

In an embodiment, the RAN 100 may comprise one or more access nodes 110and 140, one or more RNs 120, and one or more UEs 130. FIG. 1 shows asecond access node 140 being present. Either access node 110 or 140 maybe an eNB, a base station, or other component that promote networkaccess for the UEs 130.

In the embodiments described herein, access node 110 may be a “macro”access node (or macro eNB) and the second access node 140 may be a microaccess node, femto access node, or home access node (HeNB). However, inother embodiments this arrangement may be reversed or modified, such asby the inclusion of more or fewer access nodes having similar ordifferent designations.

Generally, HeNBs, CSG cells, microcells, or femtocells are conceptsintroduced for UMTS and LTE (E-UTRAN) to improve indoor and micro-cellcoverage, as well as to leverage wireline backhaul to the ‘home’ orother private area. These terms may be widely used outside of 3GPP tomean any cell with a very small coverage. As used herein, the terms“HeNB,” “microcell,” and “femtocell” may be used interchangeably. Theterm “CSG” refers to a “closed subscriber group,” and refers to a cellthat only allows certain users to access that cell. The terms HeNB orHNB are used in 3GPP with specific meanings, such as that the cell is aCSG cell or hybrid cell.

The term “macro” cell, while possibly not having significance in 3GPPspecifications, may be widely used to mean a cell other than a HeNBcell, microcell, picocell, femtocell, or CSG cell. The embodimentsdescribed herein relate to mobility procedures when a UE is being handedover from a macro eNB to a CSG cell or hybrid cell, or relate to when adetermination is being made whether to perform such a handover.

Returning to FIG. 1, access node 110 and access node 140 may communicatewith any UE 130 which may be within the same cell, though in oneparticular embodiment preferably only one access node handlescommunications with a given UE. A cell may be a geographical area ofreception and transmission coverage. The access nodes 110 and 140 maycommunicate with other components or devices to provide components ofthe RAN 100 access to other networks, for instance using similar ordifferent network protocols or technologies.

RN 120 may be used to enhance coverage within or near a cell, or toextend the size of coverage of a cell. Additionally, the use of a RN 120can enhance throughput of a signal within a cell because the UE 130 canaccess the RN 120 at a higher data rate or a lower power transmissionthan the UE 130 might use when communicating directly with the accessnode 110 for that cell.

Additional characteristics of eNBs, HeNBs, RNs, UEs, and wirelesscommunications may be found in the 3GPP technical specifications. Theembodiments contemplate the meanings and definitions provided in thesetechnical specifications as of the date of filing of this document.

Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs)

One aspect of HeNB functionality may be the ability to restrict accessto particular users. For example, access to a cell might be restrictedto employees of the company on whose site the HeNB is deployed, tocustomers of a particular coffee shop chain, or even to particularindividuals within a private residence.

3GPP technical specifications have defined the concept of a ClosedSubscriber Group cell. A CSG cell may indicate that it is a CSG cell bymeans of one bit broadcast in the system information, and a CSG ID alsoin system information. A cell may only indicate one or none CSG IDs;however, multiple cells may share a CSG ID. A UE may be subscribed tomultiple CSGs. Such subscriptions may be temporary in nature, such as acoffee shop allowing a customer one hour of access to the coffee shop'sCSG.

As used herein, the term “allowed CSG list” refers to a list of CSGs ofwhich the UE is a member. As used herein, the allowed CSG list is fromthe AS perspective and includes both the NAS UE's allowed CSG list andoperator CSG list, as well as potentially other types of CSG listdefined for the NAS. As used herein a CSG is “not allowed” if the CSG isnot in the allowed CSG list of the UE.

Regarding terminology not specific to CSG mobility, two terms should bedescribed: handover preparation and SI acquisition. In handoverpreparation, a network-side procedure includes preparing a target cellfor handover by a source cell. SI acquisition may be used for receptionand decoding of broadcast system information in a cell. SI acquisitionmay be used to obtain, for example, the handover preparation informationon the UE side.

Regarding terminology specific to CSG mobility, six terms are described:preliminary access check, handover evaluation, handover preparationinformation, SI gap, SI report, and non-SI measurement report. Apreliminary access check may be used by a UE to determine whether the UEis allowed to access a cell by checking CSG membership. In other words,the preliminary access check applies only to CSG cells and may be usedto determine whether the CSG ID of the cell is in the UE's allowed CSGList. Handover evaluation refers to acquiring a cell global ID andperforming a preliminary access check. These processes may be performedat the UE. Handover preparation information refers to E-CGI, CSG ID andTAI sent by a UE in a measurement report. The SI gap refers to a breakin transmission or reception with a serving cell in order to allow forsystem information acquisition of a non-serving cell. The allowed CSGcell of a UE refers to a CSG cell whose CSG ID is in the UE's allowedCSG list. The SI report refers to a measurement report that includes thehandover preparation information. The non-SI measurement report refersto a measurement report that is not an SI report.

Legacy Devices

UMTS CSG cells may not be listed in the neighbor cell lists of non-CSGcells. For this reason, legacy UMTS devices, which may be Release-7 orearlier UMTS devices, may not search for CSG cells. Should such a deviceattempt to access a CSG cell, its registration attempt may be rejected.E-UTRAN is specified first in Release 8, and therefore all E-UTRANcapable devices may be “CSG-aware” devices, even if they have no CSGsubscription.

Idle Mode Mobility to and from CSG Cells.

Generally, network operators may prefer that devices which have asubscription to a CSG cell camp on that cell, in preference to a non-CSGcell. However, the determination by the device to search for CSG cellsis implementation-specific, and may be manually triggered. UEs may storesome information, such as GPS coordinates, a list of macro cells whichare detected, or other information, corresponding to the location ofcells which they are able to access. This information may be used tospeed up subsequent cell accesses. This process may be referred to as“fingerprinting.”

The decision of which target cell to camp on is also dependent on thecell selection and reselection rule defined for UTRAN and E-UTRAN.Currently, in Release-8, a UE may reselect to a cell if it is the bestcell of any cells using its particular carrier frequency. The “best” maybe considered the cell with the strongest signal strength. While the UEis camped on a suitable CSG cell, the UE may consider the currentfrequency to be the highest priority frequency. Idle mode reselectionaway from CSG cells towards a non-CSG cell follows legacy behavior forreselection to such cells.

Connected Mode Mobility to and from CSG Cells

In Release 8, only outbound mobility is supported concerning mobilitybetween macro eNB and HeNB, and between two HeNBs. Outbound mobility maybe handover of a UE from a HeNB to a macro eNB. In Release 9, one of theenhancements is to support inbound mobility. Inbound mobility may behandover of a UE from a macro eNB to a HeNB.

Hybrid Cells

Hybrid cells, introduced in Release 9, may be cells that belong to a CSGand have a CSG ID. However, a hybrid cell may allow access to both itsCSG members and non-CSG members. For example, a hybrid cell may allowaccess to UEs who are not subscribed to the CSG that the hybrid cellbelongs to. In Release 8, a hybrid cell may be identified by a CSG ID,which it may broadcast, and by setting the CSG Indicator bit (E-UTRAN)or CSG Indication bit (UMTS) to a value that corresponds to a non-CSGcell. These bits may be transmitted by broadcast signaling.

“PCI/PSC Split”

In E-UTRAN, neighbor cell lists may not be explicit. In other words,neighbor cell lists may not positively identify neighbor cells. Instead,neighbor cell lists may simply indicate a frequency and, optionally, alist of “Not Allowed” or “blacklisted” cells that UEs should not attemptto access. UEs are expected to detect cells on a frequency by blindsearching. However, blind searching may lead to a significant problem inthe case where many of the detected cells are CSG cells. In order tominimize unnecessary processing of such cells by devices which have noCSG subscription, the network may optionally indicate the “PCI split”applicable to CSG cells. The PCI split may be the set of physical cellidentities that are reserved for CSG cells. The PSC split is theanalogous indication for UMTS cells, in the case where an operator doeslist CSG cells in the neighbor cell list.

In an embodiment, a PCI/PSC split may be used to distinguish betweenhybrid and non-hybrid cells. The PCI/PSC split between hybrid andnon-hybrid cells may not be required for connected mode inboundmobility. For idle mode camping, the PCI/PSC split between hybrid andnon-hybrid cells may also not be required for intra-frequency cellreselection and cell reselection at higher priority frequencies since aUE may read SIB1 to decide if the UE can camp on the best ranked cell.Fingerprint information and manual search can be used for cellreselection at equal or lower priority frequencies.

Measurement Object and Measurement Identity

In UTRAN and E-UTRAN, measurement objects and measurement identities maybe configured by the eNB for a UE to trigger measurement reporting fromthe UE. The UE measures one or more properties of a connection and ifmeasurement reporting is triggered, reports these one or more propertiesto a network component.

A measurement object may be associated with a particular carrierfrequency, which may be the same frequency as the serving cell or adifferent frequency for the case of inter-frequency measurement. The eNBmay configure one or more measurement objects for a UE.

To trigger measurement reporting from a UE, the eNB may configure one ormore measurement identities for a UE. Each measurement identity isassociated with a measurement object and a reporting configuration. Areporting configuration defines the criteria, such as for exampleRSRP/RSRQ thresholds, upon which the measurement reporting from the UEis triggered.

Mobility Towards CSG/Hybrid Cells

A UE which is subscribed to the CSG ID of a given CSG cell mayprioritize its camping towards the CSG Cells when in coverage of the CSGcells. The UE may set the reselection parameters accordingly or othermeans should allow the UE to prioritize its camping.

For inbound mobility to CSG cells in idle mode, intra-frequency cellreselection shall be completed as for normal reselection to non-CSGcells. In the case of inter-frequency mobility, it is desirable thatinbound cell reselection is possible within 20-60 s.

Regarding functional and/or performance requirements, the handoverprocedures may take into account whether a UE is subscribed to the CSGID of the target CSG Cell. The mobility procedures may allow forprioritization of the CSG Cells in ECM-CONNECTED when the UE enterscoverage of a CSG Cell to which it is subscribed.

It may be possible to minimize the quantity of measurements which a UEperforms on CSG Cells which it is not permitted to access. The PCI of aHeNB might change at each power up of the HeNB. Although a change of PCIis expected to be infrequent, if it changes, mobility may still besupported without user intervention.

For handover to CSG cells, the cell search, CSG identification, andhandover process may be completed in the order of one second in case ofintra-frequency mobility. In case of inter-frequency mobility, 10-30seconds is expected, including the autonomous CSG search time.

Regarding measurements and handover preparation, the UE may performmeasurement reporting of all cells as in Release 8. This reporting mayinclude PCI/PSC plus signal strength/quality. Measurement reporting maybe performed regardless of whether the UE is allowed to access the cell,subject to measurement configuration. The UE may not know whether it isallowed to access a particular cell.

The UE may request configuration of inter-frequency measurements, ifneeded, depending on UE capabilities. This request may be made when theUE determines that it may be in the vicinity of an accessibleinter-frequency CSG cell. This request may be made byimplementation-specific means, such as fingerprinting. The determinationof being within the vicinity of an accessible inter-frequency CSG cellmay be made by sending a proximity indication to the network.

In order to assist the serving cell with handover preparation, the UEmay acquire, by means of SI gaps, handover preparation information. Thisinformation may be acquired in addition to the Release 8 measurementreporting information. The UE may use Release 9 measurement reportingprocedures to produce a measurement report that includes handoverpreparation information.

In case a preliminary access check is required or desired, the UE mayperform a preliminary access check of detected CSG cells, under thecontrol of the network. The network typically only initiates handoverpreparation to CSG cells for which the UE has performed a preliminaryaccess check.

The UE may include the handover preparation information of a CSGCell/Hybrid Cell in a Release 9 measurement report containing the PCI ofthis cell without an explicit request from the network, if the UE hasbeen able to determine the handover preparation information. UEs mayreceive an indication that inbound connected mode mobility, such as ahandover, to CSG cells and Hybrid cells is not supported. If the UEreceives such an indication, the UE should not send a proximityindication or a measurement report that includes handover preparationinformation.

Several issues remain unresolved as of the date of filing of thisdocument. For example, with respect to mobility towards CSG/hybridcells, it is unknown whether SI gaps are to be i) scheduled by thenetwork, ii) autonomously scheduled by the UE using one or moresub-frames of its choice (on the order of the network), or both. Ifautonomous gaps are to be used and no order to acquire SI is received,UE might follow DRX requirements as specified in Release 8.

In addition to the above, there are a number of open issues related tohybrid cells that have yet to be addressed. Regarding unnecessary UEreselections & registrations to hybrid/open cells, the high density ofhybrid cells may cause this problem due to more frequent cellre-selection at the UE, resulting in high battery power consumption, andsimilar issues. Different criteria may be needed to perform cellre-selection for the case of hybrid cells.

Another unresolved issue is the procedure involved when an open hybridcell becomes closed (i.e. becomes a CSG cell). For example, relocationfor the camped non-member UEs might be immediate or might be gradual incase of active service where a handover is triggered. Another unresolvedissue is how a hybrid cell indicates to a UE that it has become a CSGcell. A related unresolved issue is how long after the indication occursdo non-member UEs have to leave the CSG cell.

Macro cell and CSG/hybrid cells might offer different services. However,currently it is not clear if a non-member of a hybrid cell will receivethe special service offering from a hybrid cell, and therefore whetherthere is reason for a non-member UE to camp on a hybrid cell if thehybrid cell does not have the strongest signal strength.

Other issues remain unresolved. For example, it is yet to be determinedhow a UE who is a member of a hybrid cell prioritized over a UE who isnot a member of the hybrid cell.

Overview of Issues Addressed by the Several Embodiments Described Herein

The embodiments described herein address several open issues of inboundmobility or handover to CSG/hybrid cells when a UE is in connected mode.In one embodiment, for both autonomous gaps and scheduled gaps forhandover evaluation, the eNB may order the UE to perform handoverevaluation and report handover preparation information. In order for theeNB to perform this function, some triggers may be specified. Forexample, the UE may report the signal strength of neighbor cells.Existing Rel-8 measurement events may not be adequate for triggering ameasurement report of CSG/hybrid cells due to the low transmit powerlevel of CSG/hybrid cells. In addition, when defining new measurementreport triggering events for CSG/hybrid cells, the criteria formeasurement reports may be such that the criteria do not trigger anexcessive amount of measurement reports. For example, a UE with highmobility may move through multiple CSG cells within a short time; thus,by the time the measurement report has reached the eNB and handoverpreparation has taken place at the eNB, the UE may have moved away froma particular CSG cell and measurements are therefore stale.

In another embodiment, either autonomous gaps or scheduled gaps may beused for handover evaluation at the UE. For example, either kind of gapmay be used to acquire the SI of neighbor CSG/hybrid cells. For bothcases, if the gaps are not located within the natural DRX duration ofthe UE, service interruption may occur. Unnecessary handover evaluationof a neighbor cell should be avoided.

In another embodiment, when the UE reports signal strength of neighborcells in the measurement report, the UE may indicate which cell ispotentially an allowed CSG cell so that the eNB can order the UE toperform handover evaluation of certain cells. However, to avoidexcessive handover evaluation of many neighbor cells, someprioritization of different CSG/hybrid cells may be required or desired.

In another embodiment, some measurement reporting criteria may bedefined for the UE to report signal strength of CSG cells which are notin the allowed CSG list of the UE. The UE may perform measurementreporting of all cells as in Release 8 regardless of whether the UE isallowed to access the cell, subject to measurement configuration.

In still another embodiment, when a new HeNB is first deployed orpowered on, the UE may not have fingerprint information related to theHeNB. Therefore, the UE may be required not to report the signalstrength or handover evaluation information in measurement reports, ifthe signal strength does not meet the criteria defined else wise forCSG/hybrid cells. In dense CSG cell deployments, the UE may useexcessive battery power and/or signaling to measure and report on alldetected CSG cells, even if there are thresholds set by the network tolimit these.

Certain categories of CSG cells may not be appropriate targets forhandover, depending on their deployment and the mobility or currentserving cell of the device. For example, cells aboard a moving vehiclemay not be used by stationary users near to the vehicle. In anotherexample, handover between cells set up to provide track-side coveragefor trains or highway coverage may be optimized for high-mobilitydevices. Therefore devices on the train should preferably consider thesecells as handover candidates, rather than private CSG cells wherehandover may not be configured. The eNB may have the final determinationon handovers.

FIGS. 2A and 2B together are a flowchart illustrating steps involved insignal strength measurement, handover evaluation, and reporting, inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The process illustratedin FIGS. 2A and 2B may be implemented in one or more network componentssuch as access nodes 110 and 140, RN 120, and/or UEs 130. The processillustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be implemented by one or moredevices, such as the device shown in system 715 of FIG. 7. The processshown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is exemplary only, and not limiting of theembodiments described herein.

The process begins as the UE performs one or more measurements of aneighbor cell or cells for example due to serving cell strength beingbelow a certain threshold, or due to fingerprinting information ofCSG/hybrid cells (block 200). Optionally, if DRX opportunities areavailable, the UE obtains handover preparation information of certainneighbor cells based on fingerprinting information and signal strengthmeasured in the step shown in block 200 (block 202). The measurementreport may be sent by the UE for cell “X” based on e.g. configuredmeasurement reporting trigger criteria, i.e., measurement identities andreporting configuration (block 204). Block 204 may be related to thediscussion of signal strength measurement control, reporting ofnot-allowed CSG cells, and macro eNB triggered measurement, as describedbelow.

A determination is then made whether handover preparation information ofcell “X” has been previously acquired or stored prior to the measurementreport being sent (block 206). An example of previously acquired orstored handover preparation information might be fingerprintinginformation for a cell. If the handover preparation information of cell“X” has been previously acquired or stored (a “yes” determination toblock 206), then the UE sends a SI report including indication ofwhether the handover preparation information was obtained within apredefined validity period, or the elapsed time since the SI wasobtained (block 208). If not (a “no” determination to block 206), thenthe UE sends the measurement report without a SI report or the time atwhich the SI was obtained (block 210). Blocks 208 and 210 may be relatedto the discussion of measurement reports and prioritization of neighborCSG/hybrid cells, below.

Regardless of the outcome of decision block 206, a determination is madewhether the eNB decides to order the UE to acquire handover preparationinformation of cell “X” (block 212). This decision may be based onfactors such as signal strength and/or the elapsed time of the reportedhandover preparation information in a previous measurement report. Ifthe eNB decides to order the UE to acquire handover preparationinformation of cell “X” (a “yes” determination to block 212), then theeNB orders UE to acquire handover preparation information of certaincells and indicate the measurement reporting trigger criteria, i.e., themeasurement identities, and reporting configuration, upon which the SIreport should be triggered; and additionally the UE acquires handoverpreparation information if the SI report is triggered (block 214).Subsequently, the UE sends the SI report (measurement report includinghandover preparation information: CGI and TAI, CSG ID, result ofpreliminary access check, and/or others) and may indicate whether the SIwas obtained within a predefined validity period; or the elapsed time ofwhen the SI was obtained (block 216).

Blocks 212 and 214 may be related to the discussion of handoverevaluation using autonomous gaps and scheduled gaps, described below.Additionally, block 216 may be related to the discussion of measurementreports and prioritization of neighbor CSG/hybrid cells, describedbelow.

After block 216, or in response to a “no” determination at decisionblock 212, the eNB decides if handover is required, and the target cellif handover is required (block 218). The process of signal strengthmeasurement, handover evaluation and measurement reporting terminatesthereafter.

Within certain of the steps described above, additional steps and/orembodiments are provided herein. For example, additional steps andembodiments are provided below with respect to blocks 204 and 208through 216.

Signal Strength Measurement Control

Attention is now turned to embodiments relating to signal strengthmeasurement control. These embodiments may be related to block 204 ofFIG. 2A. Because CSG/hybrid cells may have different transmit power thanmacro cells, the criteria (including parameter values) used to triggermeasurement reporting may be different. In addition, since the coveragearea of a CSG/hybrid cell is typically much smaller than that of a macrocell, a high mobility state UE may move across multiple CSG/hybrid cellswithin a short duration. For a high mobility state UE, it may be moredesirable for the UE to perform handover to a macro network in order toprevent service interruption to the UE as well as increased signalingoverhead and burden for both over-the air as well as backhaulcommunications caused by too frequent handovers between CGS/hybridcells. In some scenarios, where CSG/hybrid cells provide services in thecoverage holes of macro cells, a high mobility state UE might berequired to perform fast handover to the target CSG/hybrid cell. In thecase where a UE is located in a train, the train track where a trainwould pass is likely predictable, so the UE's mobility and targetCSG/hybrid cell are predictable on the train track. The appropriatefilter coefficient value may be configured for the UE when applying themeasured signal strength to the defined measurement reportingthresholds, such that the desired handover frequency can be controlled.

Regarding signal strength measurement control, there are at least fiveembodiments. In a first embodiment, the eNB may configure differentmeasurement reporting criteria for different types of cells, includingmacro cells, CSG cells, hybrid cells and different types of CSG/hybridcells, e.g. CSG/hybrid cells in a campus, CSG/hybrid cells in a highmobility environment (e.g. along the highway, train track), etc. Thedifferent measurement reporting criteria includes values of variousRSRP/RSRQ thresholds, RSRP/RSRQ measurement filter coefficient values,cell type, CSG Type, or some other parameters which indicate the levelof UE mobility (e.g. low, medium or high) to which the measurementreporting criteria apply. A UE may be configured with multiplemeasurement identities, where each corresponds to macro cells orCSG/hybrid cells or a specific CSG/hybrid cell type with the associatedmeasurement reporting criteria. A UE may determine if a cell is a macrocell, CSG cell, or hybrid cell or certain CSG/hybrid cell type based onthe PCI of the cell and/or the UE's implementation, e.g. storedfingerprinting information, previous preliminary access checkinformation, and others. The UE may then apply the appropriatemeasurement reporting criteria.

In a second embodiment, since a UE may have an empty allowed CSG listand the UE may not be able to detect a macro versus CSG/hybrid cell, theUE may inform the serving eNB of its CSG support capability duringcapability exchange signaling (e.g. when the UE enters the connectedmode). In one implementation, the capability information that the UEprovides to the eNB includes the UE's capability to detect CSG cells,and whether the UE has a non-empty allowed CSG list. In this way, theserving eNB can configure the appropriate measurement reporting criteriafor the UE. A UE that does not support access to a CSG cell but candetect a CSG and/or hybrid cell can still be configured with measurementreporting criteria that corresponds to CSG and/or hybrid cells. On theother hand, for a UE that does not support access to CSG cell and cannotdetect a CSG and/or hybrid cell, the UE might not be configured withmeasurement reporting criteria that correspond to CSG or hybrid cells.

In a third embodiment, CSGs and/or CSG cells may be categorized intodifferent CSG types according to the deployment environment of the CSGcell(s). For example, a CSG type of ‘campus’ may be defined for CSGcells belonging to a particular CSG; a CSG type of ‘train’ may bedefined for CSG cells that serve along the train track; other CSG typesmay defined as desired. A UE may be configured to take into account theCSG type of the serving cell (if it is a CSG cell) and/or the CSG typeof a neighbor cell when performing and reporting measurements. Forexample, when a UE is in a certain area which may be indicated by a CSGType of the serving cell, the UE may check the CSG ID of a neighbor celland verify if this CSG ID is provisioned as a certain CSG type in theUE's CSG list. For example, a CSG Type may be “train” and/or be based onfingerprinting information. In other words, the UE may store a list ofCSGs or CSG cells and their associated type. If a neighbor cell's CSG IDis associated with a certain CSG type in the UE's CSG list, then the UEmay be triggered to send a measurement report for that cell.

In a fourth embodiment, CSG types could, for example, be indicative ofthe capabilities or services provided by a CSG cell. In a moreparticular example, CSG cells of a particular type may not supportincoming handover at all. Hence, in this case, there is no point in adevice acquiring the system information of such a cell as part of ahandover evaluation procedure. Some CSG types may support packetswitched (PS) Handover only, or circuit switched (CS) or voice handoveronly, or both (but only one procedure at a time), or both (possibly inparallel, so as to maintain continuity of both CS and PS services). SomeCSG types may support voice over PS domain, which may be applicable forIMS services. Some CSG types may support emergency call functionality,either supported by VoIMS, PS, or CS services.

In a fifth embodiment, the eNB can further configure a UE to send ameasurement report of a cell only if the signal strength criteria aremet, or if the CSG ID of the cell belongs to the UE's allowed CSG listand/or the UE's preferred CSG list. This embodiment may avoid excessivemeasurement reporting from the UE.

In Release 8, the UE might only include the list of cells in themeasurement report based on the top “N” best/strongest cells. In a sixthembodiment, the eNB may configure a UE to determine whether to includethe list of cells in the measurement report based on the top “N”best/strongest cells. Alternatively, the determination may be based onUE specific priority levels of the cells, such as preference levels, ora combination of these factors. In one implementation, a UE can onlyinclude a CSG/hybrid cell in the measurement report if the receivedsignal strength (e.g. RSRP, RSRQ) is higher than a threshold configuredby the eNB. Further, the eNB can also configure the UE to report thebest “N” macro cells and the best “M” CSG/hybrid cells. In anotherimplementation, the eNB can also configure the UE to report the best “N”macro cells and the best “M” allowed CSG cells or hybrid cells whose CSGIDs are in the UE's allowed CSG list. In this way, the UE could report amixture of the best macro cells, and/or best CSG/hybrid cells, and/orprioritized CSG/hybrid cells. In this embodiment, the UE may have theflexibility to report, under various criteria, the number of thestrongest/best CSG/hybrid cells. This report may be driven by either theUE or the eNB.

The embodiments described below relate to specific embodiments of thoseembodiments described above. In one embodiment, measurement reportingevents can be specified for CSG/hybrid cells. Measurement reportingevents may be similar to those defined in LTE Release 8, such as eventsA1, A2, A3, A4, and A5. The eNB may create one or more measurementidentities, “measId,” to associate a measurement object with thereporting configuration, which includes specific measurement reportingevent, that corresponds to the CSG/hybrid cells. An indication may beadded in the reporting configuration to indicate that the reportingconfiguration should be used for triggering measurement reporting ofmacro cells or CSG/hybrid cells. In one specific embodiment, for E-UTRA,the indication of CSG/hybrid cell specific reporting configuration maybe added in the ReportConfigEUTRA (IE) sent in theRRCConnectionReconfiguration message from the eNB to the UE. This isshown in the exemplary ReportConfigEUTRA information element, below intable 1, as “csgHybridIndicator.”

The UE may be able to determine that a cell is a CSG cell based on thedetected PCI without the need to read the SIB1 if the PCI split isknown. For hybrid cells, the UE can use its stored fingerprintinginformation to estimate that a cell is a hybrid cell, or use informationobtained from a prior preliminary access check of the neighbor cell. TheUE then may use the corresponding measurement identity and reportingconfiguration based on whether a cell is a macro or CSG/hybrid cell. AUE may use the measurement identities corresponding to a macro cell ifthe UE cannot determine if a cell is a CSG or hybrid cell.

The criteria for existing measurement reporting events may be modifiedto incorporate CSG-specific parameters. For example, another parameter“csgCellOffset” may be added to the ReportConfigEUTRA IE to provide theneighbor cell-specific offset for events A3, A4 and A5, as well as newevents A6 to A11 described below for CSG/hybrid cell reporting. In oneembodiment, the inclusion of the “csgCellOffset” may be used as animplicit indication that this reporting configuration should be appliedfor a CSG/hybrid cell.

In one embodiment, additional measurement reporting events can bedefined for CSG/hybrid cells to factor in whether a CSG/hybrid cell isin the UE's allowed CSG list and/or if a CSG/hybrid cell belongs to theUE's preferred CSG. One or multiple CSGs in the allowed CSG list of theUE may be the UE's preferred CSG(s). In this way, the eNB can limit themeasurement reporting of a UE to only CSG cells that belong to a UE'sallowed CSG list and/or UE's preferred CSG.

On the other hand, as described earlier, the eNB can also use theRelease 8 measurement events to allow the UE to report neighbor cells,regardless of their type, for the purpose of interference assessment. Ingeneral, the existing Release 8 measurement events would be morerestrictive than those specifically for CSG cells. For example, thesignal strength/quality threshold for the target cell would beconfigured to be higher for these events than for events applicable onlyto CSG cells.

The new measurement events may be defined to include these CSG-relatedcriteria, derived from the Release 8 measurement events A3, A4, A5, asshown below:

Event A6: extension of event A3, that is, neighbor cell becomes offsetbetter than serving cell and neighbor cell is in the UE's allowed CSGlist.

Event A7: extension of event A3, that is, neighbor cell becomes offsetbetter than serving cell and neighbor cell is in the UE's allowed CSGlist and belongs to the UE's preferred CSG.

Event A8: extension of event A4, that is, neighbor cell becomes betterthan threshold and neighbor cell is in the UE's allowed CSG list.

Event A9: extension of event A4, that is, neighbor cell becomes betterthan threshold and neighbor cell is in the UE's allowed CSG list andbelongs to the UE's preferred CSG.

Event A10: extension of event A5, that is, serving cell becomes worsethan threshold1 and neighbor cell becomes better than threshold2 andneighbor cell is in the UE's allowed CSG list.

Event A11: extension of event A5, that is, serving cell becomes worsethan threshold1 and neighbor cell becomes better than threshold2 andneighbor cell is in the UE's allowed CSG list and belongs to the UE'spreferred CSG.

Event A12: extension of event A4, that is, neighbor cell becomes betterthan threshold and neighbor cell CSG Type corresponds to a specific CSGtype (e.g. “train”) specified for this event.

The new events A6, A7, A8, A9, A10, A11, and A12 may be added to theReportConfigEUTRA information element as shown in table 1 below in theexemplary information element. The UE may use stored fingerprintinginformation or a preliminary access check during handover evaluation todetermine if a cell belongs to the UE's allowed CSG list, if a cellbelongs to the UE's preferred CSG, and/or if a CSG cell belongs to aspecific area which is associated with a CSG Type.

In Release 8, the UE only includes in the measurement report sent to theeNB the best or strongest maxReportCells cells that meet the measurementreporting criteria. In one embodiment of this disclosure, the eNB mayinstruct a UE to prioritize the cells to be included in the measurementreport based on preferred CSG membership. As shown in the exemplary IEbelow in table 1, a flag, prioritizedReporting may be added to indicateto the UE whether to perform prioritized reporting. If prioritizedreporting is indicated, the UE can report neighbor CSG//hybrid cellsthat are not necessarily the best or strongest cells. In one embodiment,a UE can be configured to prioritize sending the measurement report forcertain CSG cells in the CSG list provisioned when a UE is located incertain area, as indicated by the CSG Type (e.g. CSG Type=‘train’). Inanother embodiment, three fields: maxReportCellsMacro,maxReportCellsCSGHybrid, and maxReportCellsCSGHybridPreferred may beintroduced, as shown in the exemplary IE below in Table 1, to specifythe best maxReportCellsMacro macro cells, the bestmaxReportCellsCSGHybrid CSG/hybrid cells, and/or the bestmaxReportCellsCSGHybridPreferred CSG or hybrid cells whose CSG IDs arein the UE's allowed CSG list, the UE should report.

Exemplary ReportConfigEUTRA Information Element

TABLE 1 ASN1START ReportConfigEUTRA ::=SEQUENCE {   triggerType CHOICE {    event SEQUENCE {       eventId CHOICE { eventA1   SEQUENCE {a1-Threshold ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA2   SEQUENCE { a2-ThresholdThresholdEUTRA }, eventA3   SEQUENCE { a3-Offset   INTEGER (−30..30),reportOnLeave   BOOLEAN }, eventA4   SEQUENCE { a4-ThresholdThresholdEUTRA }, eventA5   SEQUENCE { a5-Threshold1   ThresholdEUTRA,a5-Threshold2   ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA6   SEQUENCE { a6-Offset  INTEGER (−30..30), reportOnLeave   BOOLEAN }, eventA7   SEQUENCE {a7-Offset   INTEGER (−30..30), reportOnLeave   BOOLEAN }, eventA8  SEQUENCE { a8-Threshold   ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA9   SEQUENCE {a9-Threshold   ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA10   SEQUENCE { a10-Threshold1  ThresholdEUTRA, a10-Threshold2   ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA11   SEQUENCE{ a11-Threshold1   ThresholdEUTRA, a11-Threshold2   ThresholdEUTRA },eventA12   SEQUENCE { a12-CsgType   ENUMERATED   {Train, Plane, Bus},a12-Threshold   ThresholdEUTRA }, . . .       },       hysteresisHysteresis,       timeToTrigger TimeToTrigger     },     periodicalSEQUENCE {       purpose   ENUMERATED {   reportStrongestCells,reportCGI}     }   },   triggerQuantity ENUMERATED {rsrp, rsrq},  reportQuantity ENUMERATED {sameAsTriggerQuantity, both},  maxReportCells INTEGER (1..maxCellReport),   reportIntervalReportInterval,   reportAmount ENUMERATED {r1, r2, r4, r8, r16, r32,r64, infinity},   csgHybridIndicator BOOLEAN (or BIT STRING (SIZE (2)))OPTIONAL,   csgCellOffset Q-OffsetRange   OPTIONAL,   prioritizedReportBOOLEAN   OPTIONAL,   maxReportCellsMacro INTEGER(1..maxCellReportMacro) OPTIONAL,   maxReportCellCSGHybrid INTEGER(1..maxCellReportCSGHybrid) OPTIONAL,   maxReportCellCSGHybridPreferred  INTEGER(1..maxCellReportCSGHybrid)   OPTIONAL,   . . . }ThresholdEUTRA ::= CHOICE {   threshold-RSRP   RSRP-Range,  threshold-RSRQ   RSRQ-Range } ASN1 STOP

An example of a CSG/hybrid cell specific reporting configuration isprovided in the following Table 2:

TABLE 2 ReportConfigEUTRA field descriptions eventId Choice of E-UTRAevent triggered reporting criteria. aN-ThresholdM Threshold to be usedin EUTRA measurement report triggering condition for event number aN. Ifmultiple thresholds are defined for event number N, the thresholds aredifferentiated by M. a3-Offset Offset value to be used in EUTRAmeasurement report triggering condition for event a3. The actual valueis IE value * 0.5 dB. reportOnLeave Indicates whether or not the UEshall initiate the measurement reporting procedure when the leavingcondition is met for a cell in cellsTriggeredList, as specified in5.5.4.1. triggerQuantity The quantities used to evaluate the triggeringcondition for the event. The values rsrp and rsrq correspond toReference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal ReceivedQuality (RSRQ), see TS 36.214 [48]. timeToTrigger Time during whichspecific criteria for the event needs to be met in order to trigger ameasurement report. reportQuantity The quantities to be included in themeasurement report. The value both means that both the rsrp and rsrqquantities are to be included in the measurement report. maxReportCellsMax number of cells, excluding the serving cell, to include in themeasurement report. reportAmount Number of measurement reportsapplicable for triggerType ‘event’ as well as for triggerType‘periodical’. In case purpose is set to ‘reportCGI’ only value 1applies. ThresholdEUTRA For RSRP: RSRP based threshold for eventevaluation. For RSRQ: RSRQ based threshold for event evaluation.csgHybridIndicator Set to ‘True’ to indicate that the reportingconfiguration should be used for CSG/hybrid cells. Set to ‘False’ toindicate the the reporting configuration should be used for macro cells.Alternatively, this is a two-bit field to indicate the following: 00: toindicate that the reporting configuration should be used for anyCSG/hybrid cell 01: to indicate that the reporting configuration shouldbe used for allowed CSG cell or hybrid cell whose CSG ID is in the UE'sallowed CSG list 10: to indicate that the reporting configuration shouldbe used for preferred CSG cell or preferred hybrid cell 11: to indicatethat the reporting configuration should be used for macro cellcsgCellOffset CSG cell offset applicable to a specific neighboring CSGcell. Value dB − 24 corresponds to −24 dB, dB − 22 corresponds to −22 dBand so on. This field is only included if csgHybridIndicator is set to‘True’. prioritizedReporting Set to ‘True’ to indicate that prioritizedreporting should be used. a12-CsgType This is the CSG Type associatedwith a CSG identity in the UE's allowed CSG Lists and this CSG Type canbe configured by operator or enterprise. Example of CSG Type includestrain, office, campus, etc . . . The CSG type allows the UE to beconfigured to perform measurement reporting when the UE is in certainenvironment as specified by a12-CsgType. maxReportCellsMacro Max numberof macro cells, excluding the serving cell, to include in themeasurement report. maxReportCellsCSGHybrid Max number of CSG or hybridcells, excluding the serving cell, to include in the measurement report.maxReportCellsCSGHybridPreferred Max number of CSG or hybrid cells whoseCSG IDs are in the UE's allowed CSG list, excluding the serving cell, toinclude in the measurement report.

Additional Detail on CSG Types

Categorizing CSG cells into ‘types’ would resolve issues related todense CSG cell deployments and certain categories of CSG cells that maynot be appropriate targets for handover. These two issues are describedabove. One option is for a CSG ID to be associated with a ‘CSG type’.Another option, that would remove the need to use a cell's CSG ID todetermine its type, is for CSG cells to select their PCI according totheir type. Currently, the concept of a PCI split exists to distinguishCSG from non-CSG cells; however, in the embodiments described herein,further distinction is proposed.

Returning to the problem of different mobility scenarios, a CSG typemight exist for highway-side or track-side cells, where handover betweenthese cells is configured and/or optimized. In this case, a devicecurrently being served by a particular CSG type will, in general,measure and report cells of the same type with higher priority thanother cells. However, a device may also make use of knowledge about itslocation and/or mobility to prioritize these cells. For example, a UEwhich is currently served by a “low mobility” cell but finds itselfreselecting cells frequently might be an indication of high mobility.Thus, the UE may start to prioritize “high mobility” type CSG cells.

In an embodiment, the device may be configured to be aware of thevarious types of CSG cells and the means to identify them, such asappropriate PCI value ranges, for example. This information may bebroadcast in system information in cells, or may be transferred todevices during provisioning, or may be updated by means of SMS transfer,OMA DM, OMA CP, or other proprietary device management and provisioningprotocols over the air.

Preferably, if PCI values are associated with types, a type may have acontiguous range of PCI values associated with it. Alternatively, thevalues may be otherwise “close” according to some measurement ofcloseness, such as according to a code distance. Devices which may notknow the exact range of PCI values for each type will generallyprioritize cells with a PCI close to that of the serving cell, ratherthan PCI values further away.

Where CSG type indicates some functionality of the cell, this indicationmay also be taken into account when measuring, reporting and/orperforming handover evaluations of cells. A device may be permitted todecline to perform a requested/ordered handover evaluation for a cell ifthe device is aware that the type of cell is not suitable. A type ofcell might not be suitable if the cell does not support handover, is notoptimized for high mobility where the device is currently in ahigh-mobility scenario, or has some other undesirable property. Thedevice may indicate its reasons for declining the requested/orderedhandover evaluation for a cell in the enhanced measurement report.

As described further below, the network may be able to require a deviceto perform handover evaluation/SI acquisition for a cell, even if thedevice has not reported a measurement report for that cell. If theindicated cell is not of a type that the device would prioritize, orwould not report at all, there are three different possibilities.

In a first possibility, it is specified that the device shall in anycase obey the order of the network. The first possibility is called forwhen the network may be requesting the information for reasons otherthan specifically related to mobility support of that device. In asecond possibility, it is specified that the device need not respond ifthe cell is not of a type preferred by or appropriate for the device. Athird possibility is that an additional indicator is added to the orderby the network to indicate that the device may take account of the typeof the cell, to the extent the device can determine the type, whendetermining whether to act on the order.

Embodiments Relating to SI Acquisition or Handover Evaluation Control

The embodiments described below may be related to blocks 212 and 214 ofFIG. 2. As described above, for a handover to succeed it might benecessary for the UE to have acquired the handover preparationinformation. Therefore, unless the UE has already acquired suchinformation, the eNB might need to order the UE to perform handoverevaluation by means of either autonomous or scheduled SI gaps.

To minimize the amount of time the UE spends on handover evaluation andin order to reduce the service interruption in the serving cell, theserving eNB can order the UE to perform handover evaluation on one ormore specific neighbor cells. The eNB may determine if a neighbor cellis a CSG cell based on the PCI value included in the measurement reportpreviously sent from the UE and based on the information regarding thePCI split.

The eNB can make the decision to order handover evaluation based onfactors such as signal strength of a neighbor cell previously reportedby the UE, whether the eNB has stored CSG cell related information of aneighbor cell that maps to the identified PCI, a possibility of UEhandover to the neighbor due to loading condition, and other factors. Inone implementation, an eNB may store the CSG cell related information ofa neighbor cell that was provided by a previous report from a UE servedby the eNB. Alternatively, the MME may provide an eNB with up to dateCSG cell related information of neighbor CSG cells.

The eNB can also make a decision based on inferring from measurementreports provided by the UE and the measurement reporting configurationapplicable to the UE whether a neighbor CSG cell is the UE's preferredor allowed CSG, or whether a neighbor CSG cell is in a certain area thatcorresponds to a CSG type. CSG types are described above.

The eNB can also instruct a UE to perform handover evaluation of aneighbor cell which is not previously indicated as in the UE's allowedCSG list. This status may be inferred from the measurement reportpreviously provided by the UE, which may have included an indicationfrom the UE whether the reported cell is likely in the UE's allowed CSGlist. The eNB can also instruct a UE to perform handover evaluation of aneighbor cell which is a hybrid cell, for the purpose of aninterference/neighbor cell survey.

In the handover evaluation order, the eNB may indicate to the UE whetherto report the handover preparation information if, after a preliminaryaccess check during handover evaluation, the UE finds out that the CSGcell is not in the UE's allowed CSG list. The eNB may also instruct a UEto perform a handover evaluation on a neighbor CSG/hybrid cell without aprior signal strength report from the UE on this cell. This instructionmay be applicable to both hybrid cell and not-allowed CSG cell of theUE. For a not-allowed CSG cell, as part of neighbor CSG cell survey andinterference assessment, the eNB may still request a UE to perform ahandover evaluation and report the CGI and CSG ID of a neighbor CSGcell. In this manner, the eNB can update its stored neighbor CSG cellinformation.

The order from the eNB to the UE to perform handover evaluation onspecific neighbor cells may include a set of measurement reportingtrigger criteria which the UE shall use to decide whether to report thehandover preparation information. When the measurement reporting triggercriteria are not met, the UE does not send the measurement report withthe handover preparation information. When the measurement reportingtrigger criteria are met, the UE sends the handover preparationinformation. The number of cells for which the UE reports the handoverpreparation information may be constrained by the maximum number ofreported cells configured by the eNB. In one embodiment, the eNBconfigures the UE to report handover preparation information of the best(or strongest) “N” allowed CSG cells or hybrid cells whose CSG ID is inthe UE's allowed CSG list. In another embodiment, the eNB configures theUE to report handover preparation information of the best (or strongest)“N” CSG or hybrid cells regardless of whether the CSG/hybrid cells arein the UE's allowed CSG list.

Other, more specific, embodiments of the above embodiments are describedbelow. Specifically, other embodiments of the above solutions aredescribed with respect to autonomous gaps and scheduled gaps,respectively. These embodiments may be related to blocks 212 and 214 ofFIG. 2.

Attention is now turned to embodiments regarding the above solutionswith respect to autonomous gaps. If autonomous gaps are used forhandover evaluation, in one implementation, the order for handoverevaluation sent from the eNB to the UE can be included in theRRCConnectionReconfiguration message, as shown in the exemplaryRRCConnectionReconfiguration below in table 3 and table 4. A new IE,RRCConnectionReconfiguration-r9-IEs, may be added, which is similar tothe RRCConnectionReconfiguration-r8-IEs, except that a new IE is addedto the RRCConnectionReconfiguration-r9-IEs. For example, a HoEvalConfigis added to configure the UE to perform handover evaluation andreporting of some or all of the acquired SI on specific neighbor cells.

There are three possible alternatives for how the eNB indicates theneighbor cells on which the UE should perform handover evaluation inHoEvalConfig IE. The first alternative is shown in with respect to theexemplary HoEvalConfig IE provided below in tables 4 and 5. The PCI ofeach neighbor cell may be included in the HoEvalConfig IE.

In a second alternative, as shown in the exemplary HoEvalConfig fielddescriptions below in tables 6 and 7, the eNB may signal the neighborcells for which the UE should perform handover evaluation and reporting.This signal may be implemented using a bitmap in the HoEvalConfig IE.Each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a neighbor cell included in aprevious measurement report from the UE identified by MeasReportId. TheMeasReportId field may be included in the HoEvalConfig IE and theMeasResults IE, as shown in the exemplary MeasResults informationelement. This field may be included to associate the bit string in thebitmap of the HoEvalConfig IE with the neighbor cells previouslyreported by the UE in the MeasResults IE.

In a third alternative, as shown in the exemplary HoEvalConfig fielddescriptions below in tables 8 and 9, the eNB may indicate to the UE toperform handover evaluation and reporting of the best or first N cellscaptured in the previous measurement report from the UE, as identifiedby MeasReportId. The MeasReportId field may be included in theHoEvalConfig IE.

For the three alternatives described above, the MeasId is included toindicate measurement identity and the corresponding measurementreporting trigger that the UE should use to determine if it shouldperform handover evaluation and reporting of a neighbor cell included inthe HoEvalConfig IE. In one embodiment, the same measurement identitycan be used for both signal strength measurement and reporting as wellas handover evaluation and reporting. In another embodiment, separatemeasurement identities are defined for signal strengthmeasurement/reporting and handover evaluation/reporting. In oneembodiment, the maximum number of CSG/hybrid cells and the type ofCSG/hybrid cells for which the UE should report the handover preparationinformation is configured by the eNB. One implementation of this isshown by the parameters maxReportCSGHybridCells and maxReportType in theexemplary HoEvalConfig IE below. In yet another embodiment, the UE canbe configured to report the handover preparation information of everycell as ordered by the eNB in HoEvalConfig IE.

Exemplary RRCConnectionReconfiguration Message:

The following is an example of signaling from the eNB to the UE to orderhandover evaluation on specific neighbor cells.

TABLE 3 -- ASN1START RRCConnection Reconfiguration ::= SEQUENCE { rrc-TransactionIdentifier  RRC-TransactionIdentifier, criticalExtensions   CHOICE {   c1              CHOICE{  rrcConnectionReconfiguration-r8  RRCConnectionReconfiguration-r8-IEs,  rrcConnectionReconfiguration-r9  RRCConnectionReconfiguration-r9-IEs,   spare6 NULL, spare5 NULL, spare4 NULL,    spare3 NULL, spare2 NULL,spare1 NULL   },   criticalExtensionsFuture   SEQUENCE { }  } }RRCConnectionReconfiguration-r8-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {  measConfigMeasConfig OPTIONAL, -- Need ON  mobilityControlInfo MobilityControlInfoOPTIONAL, -- Cond HO  dedicatedInfoNASList SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxDRB)) OFDedicatedInfoNAS OPTIONAL,-- Cond nonHO  radioResourceConfigDedicatedRadioResourceConfigDedicated OPTIONAL, - - Cond HO-toEUTRA securityConfigHO SecurityConfigHO OPTIONAL, -- Cond HO nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE { } OPTIONAL -- Need OP }RRCConnectionReconfiguration-r9-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {  measConfigMeasConfig OPTIONAL, -- Need ON  hoEvalConfig HoEvalConfig OPTIONAL, --Need ON  mobilityControlInfo MobilityControlInfo OPTIONAL, -- Cond HO dedicatedInfoNASList SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxDRB)) OF DedicatedInfoNASOPTIONAL,-- Cond nonHO  radioResourceConfigDedicatedRadioResourceConfigDedicated OPTIONAL, - - Cond HO-toEUTRA securityConfigHO SecurityConfigHO OPTIONAL, -- Cond HO nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE { } OPTIONAL -- Need OP }SecurityConfigHO ::= SEQUENCE {  handoverType  CHOICE {   intraLTE  SEQUENCE {    securityAlgorithmConfig SecurityAlgorithmConfigOPTIONAL, -- Need OP    keyChangelndicator BOOLEAN,   nextHopChainingCount NextHopChainingCount   },   interRAT   SEQUENCE{    securityAlgorithmConfig   SecurityAlgorithmConfig,   nas-SecurityParamToEUTRA   OCTET STRING (SIZE(6))   }  },  ... } --ASN1STOP

The following is an example of a HoEvalConfig information element:

TABLE 4 -- ASN1START HoEvalConfig ::= SEQUENCE {  measId MeasId,OPTIONAL, -- Need ON  hoEvalCellList HoEvalCeIlList OPTIONAL, -- Need ON maxReportType BIT STRING (SIZE (2))  OPTIONAL, maxReportCSGHybridCell   INTEGER    (1..maxCellReportCSGHybrid)OPTIONAL,  ... } HoEvalCeIlList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxHoEvalCell))OF HoEvalCell HoEvalCell ::=  SEQUENCE {  neighborCellId PhysCellIdOPTIONAL, -- Need ON } -- ASN1STOP

The following table describes exemplary HoEvalConfig field descriptionsfor the above HoEvalConfig IE:

TABLE 5 HoEvalConfig field descriptions neighborCellId Physical cellidentity of a cell in neighboring cell list where the UE should performhandover evaluation and reporting based on the reporting configurationspecified for MeasId. measId Identifies the measurement identity forwhich the handover evaluation and reporting correspond to. maxReportType00: the UE shall report HO preparation information of up tomaxReportCSGHybridCells CSG or hybrid cells 01: the UE shall report HOpreparation information of up to maxReportCSGHybridCells allowed CSGcells or hybrid cells whose CSG ID belongs to the UE's allowed CSG list.10: the UE shall report HO preparation information of up tomaxReportCSGHybridCells allowed CSG cells or hybrid cells 11: reservedmaxReportCSGHybridCells Max number of CSG or hybrid cells, excluding theserving cell, to include in the measurement report

The following is another example of a HoEvalConfig information element:

TABLE 6 -- ASN1START HoEvalConfig ::= SEQUENCE {  measId MeasId,OPTIONAL, -- Need ON  measReportId MeasReportId, OPTIONAL, -- Need ON hoEvalCellList BIT STRING (SIZE(maxHoEvalCell)) OPTIONAL, -- Need ON maxReportType BIT STRING (SIZE (2)) OPTIONAL, maxReportCSGHybridCellsINTEGER (1..maxCellReportCSGHybrid) OPTIONAL, ... } -- ASN1STOP

The following table describes another exemplary HoEvalConfig fielddescriptions for the above HoEvalConfig IE:

TABLE 7 HoEvalConfig field descriptions measId Identifies themeasurement identity for which the handover evaluation and reportingcorrespond to. measReportId An identity associated with a previousmeasurement report from the UE. hoEvalCellList A bitmap indicating theneighboring cells where the UE should perform handover evaluation andreporting based on the reporting configuration specified for MeasId. A“1” denotes that the UE should perform handover evaluation and reportingon the corresponding neighbor cell. The bitmap is interpreted asfollows: Starting from the first/leftmost bit in the bitmap, each bitcorresponds to a neighbor cell included in a previous mesurement reportfrom the UE that corresponds to the MeasReportId, in sequential order.maxReportType 00: the UE shall report HO preparation information of upto maxReportCSGHybridCells CSG or hybrid cells 01: the UE shall reportHO preparation information of up to maxReportCSGHybridCells allowed CSGcells or hybrid cells whose CSG ID belongs to the UE's allowed CSG list.10: the UE shall report HO preparation information of up tomaxReportCSGHybridCells allowed CSG cells or hybrid cells 11: reservedmaxReportCSGHybridCells Max number of CSG or hybrid cells, excluding theserving cell, to include in the measurement report

The following is yet another example of a HoEvalConfig informationelement:

TABLE 8 -- ASN1START HoEvalConfig ::= SEQUENCE {  measId MeasId,OPTIONAL, -- Need ON  measReportId MeasReportId, OPTIONAL, -- Need ON numBestCells INTEGER (1 .. maxBestCells) OPTIONAL, -- Need ON maxReportType BIT STRING (SIZE (2)) OPTIONAL, maxReportCSGHybridCells INTEGER (1..maxCellReportCSGHybrid) OPTIONAL, ... } -- ASN1STOP

The following table describes another exemplary HoEvalConfig fielddescriptions for the above HoEvalConfig IE:

TABLE 9 HoEvalConfig field descriptions measId Identifies themeasurement identity for which the handover evaluation and reportingcorrespond to. measReportId An identity associated with a previousmeasurement report from the UE. numBestCells The number of cells withthe strongest signal strength in the UE's previous measurement reportidentified by measReportId, for which the UE should perform handoverevaluation and reporting. maxReportType 00: the UE shall report HOpreparation information of up to maxReportCSGHybridCells CSG or hybridcells 01: the UE shall report HO preparation information of up tomaxReportCSGHybridCells allowed CSG cells or hybrid cells whose CSG IDbelongs to the UE's allowed CSG list. 10: the UE shall report HOpreparation information of up to maxReportCSGHybridCells allowed CSGcells or hybrid cells 11: reserved maxReportCSGHybridCells Max number ofCSG or hybrid cells, excluding the serving cell, to include in themeasurement report

The following is an example of a MeasResults information element:

TABLE 10 -- ASN1START MeasResults ::=    SEQUENCE {  measId MeasId, measResultServCell SEQUENCE {   rsrpResult RSRP-Range,   rsrqResultRSRQ-Range  },   measResultNeighCells CHOICE {   measResultListEUTRAMeasResultListEUTRA,   measResultListUTRA MeasResultListUTRA,  measResultListGERAN MeasResultListGERAN,   measResultsCDMA2000MeasResultsCDMA2000,   ...  } OPTIONAL,  measReportId MeasReportIDOPTIONAL,  ... } MeasResultListEUTRA::=SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxCellReport)) OF MeasResultEUTRA MeasResultEUTRA ::= SEQUENCE { physCellId PhysCellId,  cgi-Info SEQUENCE {   cellGlobalId CellGloballdEUTRA,   trackingAreaCode  TrackingAreaCode,  plmn-IdentityList  PLMN-IdentityList2 OPTIONAL  } OPTIONAL, measResult SEQUENCE {   rsrpResult  RSRP-Range OPTIONAL,   rsrqResult RSRQ-Range OPTIONAL,   ...  } }

The following table describes exemplary MeasResults field descriptionsfor the above MeasResults IE. These exemplary MeasResults fielddescriptions correspond to the second alternative of the HoEvalConfigIE, provided above.

TABLE 11 MeasResults field descriptions measReportId An identityassociated with the measurement report

The above embodiments relate to SI acquisition or handover evaluationcontrol with respect to unscheduled or autonomous gaps. Attention is nowturned to embodiments relating to SI acquisition or handover evaluationcontrol with respect to scheduled gaps.

If scheduled gaps are used for handover evaluation, the eNB may need toexplicitly signal to the UE the radio frame(s) and sub-frame(s) used forhandover evaluation of a neighbor cell. The HoEvalConfig IE shown abovemay be modified to include the scheduled gaps, i.e., HoEvalGapConfig, asshown below in tables 14-15. The scheduled gap, HoEvalGapConfig, can bespecified for each neighbor cell included in HoEvalConfig. The scheduledgap can also be specified as a common configuration for all the neighborcells included in HoEvalConfig. A specific embodiment of the scheduledgap configuration in HoEvalGapConfig is shown below with respect to theexample of HoEvalConfig IE for the case of scheduled gaps. The UE mayconsider the scheduled gaps for a particular neighbor cell to bereleased after the UE has successfully acquired the MIB and SIB1information of the neighbor cell. The UE may indicate to the eNB when ithas successfully acquired the MIB and SIB1 information of the neighborcell. In one embodiment, the existing MeasGapConfig in Release 8 may beused instead of HoEvalGapConfig in the HoEvalConfig IE, as shown belowin the example of a HoEvalConfig IE for the case of scheduled gaps.

The following is an example of a HoEvalConfig information element:

TABLE 12 -- ASN1START HoEvalConfig ::= SEQUENCE {  measId MeasId,OPTIONAL, -- Need ON  hoEvalCellList HoEvalCeIlList OPTIONAL, -- Need ON hoEvalGapConfig HoEvalGapConfig OPTIONAL, -- Need ON  maxReportType BITSTRING (SIZE (2))  OPTIONAL, maxReportCSGHybridCells   INTEGER    (1..maxCellReportCSGHybrid)OPTIONAL,  ... } HoEvalCeIlList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxHoEvalCell))OF HoEvalCell HoEvalCell ::=   SEQUENCE {  neighborCellId PhysCellIdOPTIONAL, -- Need ON  hoEvalGapConfig HoEvalGapConfig OPTIONAL, -- NeedON } -- ASN1STOP

The following is an example of HoEvalConfig field descriptions for theabove information element:

TABLE 13 HoEvalConfig field descriptions neighborCellId Physical cellidentity of a cell in neighboring cell list where the UE should performhandover evaluation and reporting based on the reporting configurationspecified for MeasId. measId Identifies the measurement identity forwhich the handover evaluation and reporting correspond to. maxReportType00: the UE shall report HO preparation information of up tomaxReportCSGHybridCells CSG or hybrid cells 01: the UE shall report HOpreparation information of up to maxReportCSGHybridCells allowed CSGcells or hybrid cells whose CSG ID belongs to the UE's allowed CSG list.10: the UE shall report HO preparation information of up tomaxReportCSGHybridCells allowed CSG cells or hybrid cells 11: reservedmaxReportCSGHybridCells Max number of CSG or hybrid cells, excluding theserving cell, to include in the measurement report

The following is an example of a HoEvalGapConfig information element:

TABLE 14 --ASN1START HoEvalGapConfig ::= CHOICE {  release  NULL,  setup SEQUENCE {   gapOffset   SEQUENCE {    gp0    INTEGER (0..39) OPTIONAL,   gp1    INTEGER (0..79) OPTIONAL,     ...   }  } } -- ASN1STOP

The following is an example of HoEvalGapConfig field descriptions forthe above information element:

TABLE 15 HoEvalGapConfig field descriptions gapOffset Value gapOffset ofgp0 corresponds to gap offset of Gap Pattern Id “0” with MGRP = 40 ms,gapOffset of gp1 corresponds to gap offset of Gap Pattern Id “1” withMGRP = 80 ms. Also used to specify the measurement gap pattern to beapplied, as defined in TS 36.133 [16].

Measurement Reports

Attention is now turned to measurement reports with respect to SIacquisition or handover evaluation control. With respect to suchmeasurement reports, in some embodiments, the Release 8 measurementreport may be modified to include additional information related toCSG/hybrid cells. Measurement reports may be related to blocks 208, 210,and 216 of FIG. 2.

In an embodiment, a UE may indicate whether a neighbor cell belongs toan allowed CSG. This information can be factored in the eNB decisionregarding the handover target, in conjunction with the reported signalstrength (RSRP/RSRQ).

In another embodiment, the UE may indicate whether a neighbor cellbelongs to a preferred CSG. This information can be factored in the eNBdecision regarding the handover target, in conjunction with the reportedsignal strength (RSRP/RSRQ).

In yet another embodiment, the UE may indicate whether a neighbor CSGcell belongs to a certain provisioned area/environment, such as a highmobility area, or if the neighbor CSG cell has a certain CSG Type. Thisinformation can be factored in the eNB decision regarding the handovertarget, in conjunction with the reported signal strength (RSRP/RSRQ).

In still another embodiment, the UE may report the CSG ID of a neighborcell if the neighbor cell is a CSG cell or hybrid cell. Thisinformation, received by the eNB, can be sent to the MME for accesscontrol. If the CSG ID of a neighbor cell is included in the measurementreport and the PCI of the cell is not within the range of PCI for CSGcell, the eNB can deduce that the reported cell is a hybrid cell. In oneembodiment, an explicit field may be introduced to indicate whether areported cell is a CSG cell or hybrid cell.

In order for the eNB to assess the validity of the handover preparationinformation sent from the UE, when a UE reports the handover preparationinformation, the UE can indicate whether the information is obtainedbased on handover evaluation performed within a predefined durationprior to when the measurement report is sent. Depending on whetherhandover evaluation is performed within or outside the predefinedduration, the eNB can decide whether the preliminary access check isstill valid. Alternatively, the UE might not include any handoverpreparation information of a cell in the measurement report if theinformation is obtained outside of the predefined duration prior to whenthe measurement report is sent. The predefined duration within which thehandover preparation information is considered valid can be signaled bythe eNB to the UE via dedicated RRC signaling as part of a measurementidentity or reporting configuration; or via broadcast systeminformation. In yet another embodiment, the UE can determine that thehandover preparation information is valid for a cell if the UE detects,through geo-location information or other means, that it is located atclose proximity with the previously stored location corresponding to aparticular PCI.

Shown below is an exemplary MeasResults information element. ThisMeasResults IE can be further enhanced to include the above information,as shown in the MeasResults field descriptions. A HoEvaluation field maybe included to indicate whether the UE has performed handover evaluationand the associated preliminary access check within a predefined durationprior to sending the measurement report. The eNB can use the reportedinformation to decide if handover evaluation is needed for a particularneighbor cell.

The following is an example of a MeasResults information element.

TABLE 16 -- ASN1START MeasResults ::=       SEQUENCE { measId MeasId,measResultServCell SEQUENCE {  rsrpResult  RSRP-Range,  rsrqResult RSRQ-Range }, measResultNeighCells CHOICE {  measResultListEUTRA MeasResultListEUTRA,  measResultListUTRA  MeasResultListUTRA, measResultListGERAN  MeasResultListGERAN,  measResultsCDMA2000 MeasResultsCDMA2000,  ... } OPTIONAL, measReportId MeasReportIDOPTIONAL, ... } MeasResultListEUTRA::=SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxCellReport))OF MeasResultEUTRA MeasResultEUTRA ::= SEQUENCE {  physCellId PhysCellId,  cgi-Info  SEQUENCE {  cellGlobalId  CellGlobalIdEUTRA, trackingAreaCode  TrackingAreaCode,  plmn-IdentityList PLMN-IdentityList2 OPTIONAL } OPTIONAL, measResult SEQUENCE { rsrpResult  RSRP-Range OPTIONAL,  rsrqResult  RSRQ-Range OPTIONAL, hoEvaluation BIT STRING (SIZE (2)) OPTIONAL,hoEvalElapseTime  ENUMERATED {hour1, hour2, hour4, hour8, hour6, hour32} OPTIONAL,  csgId  CsgId OPTIONAL,  allowedCsg  BOOLEAN OPTIONAL, preferredCsg  BOOLEAN OPTIONAL,  csgType  Character OPTIONAL, ... } }...

The following is an example of field descriptions for the aboveMeasResults information element.

TABLE 17 MeasResults field descriptions measReportId An identityassociated with the measurement report hoEvaluation 00: to indicate thathandover evaluation is performed by the UE within a predefined durationprior to this measurement report and the neighbor cell informationincluded in the measurement report is obtained from handover evaluation.01: to indicate that handover evaluation is not performed by the UEwithin a predefined duration prior to this measurement report and theneighbor cell information included in the measurement report is obtainedfrom handover evaluation that is performed outside of the predefinedduration prior to this measurement report. 10: to indicate that theneighbor cell information provided in the measurement report is notbased on handover evaluation, but by other means, e.g. fingerprintinginformation. 11: reserved hoEvalElapseTime The time that has elapsedsince the UE last performs the handover evaluation to the time whenmeasurement report is sent. hour1 indicates one hour, hour2 indicatestwo hours and so on. csgId CSG ID of the neighbor cell allowedCsg Set to‘True’ if the neighbor CSG or hybrid cell belongs to the UE's allowedCSG list. preferredCsg Set to ‘True’ if the neighbor CSG or hybrid cellis a preferred CSG or hybrid cell or belongs to the UE's preferred CSGlist. CsgType This is the CSG Type associated with a CSG identity in theUE's allowed CSG Lists and this CSG Type can be configured by operatoror enterprise. Example of CSG Type includes train, office, campus, etc .. . The CSG type allows the UE to be configured to perform measurementreporting when the UE is in certain environment as specified by CsgType.

Prioritization of Neighbor CSG/Hybrid Cells

Attention is now turned to prioritization of neighbor CSG/Hybrid cells.This embodiment may be related to blocks 208, 210, and 216 of FIG. 2.

In addition to the UE indicating whether a reported cell belongs to itspreferred CSG as discussed above, it is also possible to introducemultiple priority or preferential levels associated with different CSGsin the UE's allowed CSG list. For example, a CSG corresponding to auser's home may have the highest priority or preferential level, whereasa CSG corresponding to a café with a discount access fee may have secondpriority or preferential level.

In order to facilitate decision making at the serving eNB as to whichneighbor cell it should order the UE to perform handover evaluation on,as well as which target HeNB the UE should be handed over to, the UE canprovide additional information to the serving eNB regardingprioritization or preferential level of a neighbor CSG/hybrid cell. Forexample, the UE can determine the prioritization level of a neighborCSG/hybrid cell based on its subscription type to the CSG, such as homecell, office cell, or any number of other subscription types.

In an embodiment, the eNB may be the device that makes decisionsregarding the target handover cell. Based on the priority/preferentiallevel indicated by the UE on each reported cell, the eNB can factor theinformation in the decision making process on the target handover cell.The eNB may also consider other factors, such as signal strengthreported by the UE, loading condition, expected interference level, andother information.

In an embodiment, the measurement report may be further enhanced asshown in the MeasResults information element, below. The eNB can makedecisions regarding handover evaluation and handover target based on thereported signal strength, as well as based on the priority level of aneighbor CSG/hybrid cell.

The following is an example of a MeasResults information element forthis embodiment:

TABLE 18 -- ASN1START MeasResults ::=       SEQUENCE {  measId MeasId, measResultServCell SEQUENCE {   rsrpResult  RSRP-Range,   rsrqResult RSRQ-Range  },  measResultNeighCells CHOICE {   measResultListEUTRA MeasResultListEUTRA,   measResultListUTRA  MeasResultListUTRA,  measResultListGERAN  MeasResultListGERAN,   measResultsCDMA2000 MeasResultsCDMA2000,   ...  } OPTIONAL,  measReportId MeasReportIDOPTIONAL,  ... } MeasResultListEUTRA::=SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxCellReport)) OF MeasResultEUTRA MeasResultEUTRA ::= SEQUENCE { physCellId PhysCellId,  cgi-Info SEQUENCE {   cellGlobalId CellGloballdEUTRA,   trackingAreaCode  TrackingAreaCode,  plmn-IdentityList  PLMN-IdentityList2 OPTIONAL  }      OPTIONAL, measResult SEQUENCE {   rsrpResult  RSRP-Range OPTIONAL,   rsrqResult RSRQ-Range OPTIONAL,   hoEvaluation BIT STRING (SIZE (2)) OPTIONAL, hoEvalElapseTime  ENUMERATED {hour1, hour2, hour4, hour8, hour6,hour32} OPTIONAL,   csgld  Csgld OPTIONAL,   csgPriorityLevel  INTEGER(0, 1, .., 8) OPTIONAL,   csgType  Character OPTIONAL,   ...  } } ...

The following is an example of MeasResults field descriptions for theabove information element that includes a prioritization level of aneighbor CSG/hybrid cell:

TABLE 19 MeasResults field descriptions measReportId An identityassociated with the measurement report hoEvaluation 00: to indicate thathandover evaluation is performed by the UE within a predefined durationprior to this measurement report and the neighbor cell informationincluded in the measurement report is obtained from handover evaluation.01: to indicate that handover evaluation is not performed by the UEwithin a predefined duration prior to this measurement report and theneighbor cell information included in the measurement report is obtainedfrom handover evaluation that is performed outside of the predefinedduration prior to this measurement report. 10: to indicate that theneighbor cell information provided in the measurement report is notbased on handover evaluation, but by other means, e.g. fingerprintinginformation. 11: reserved hoEvalElapseTime The time that has elapsedsince the UE last performs the handover evaluation to the time whenmeasurement report is sent. hour1 indicates one hour, hour2 indicatestwo hours and so on. csgId CSG ID of the neighbor cell csgPriorityLevelPriority level of the neighbor CSG or hybrid cell. The high the value,the higher the priority. Set to 0 to indicate the neighbor CSG or hybridcell does not belong to the UE's allowed CSG list. CsgType This is theCSG Type associated with a CSG identity in the UE's allowed CSG Listsand this CSG Type can be configured by operator or enterprise. Exampleof CSG Type includes train, office, campus, etc . . . The CSG typeallows the UE to be configured to perform measurement reporting when theUE is in certain environment as specified by CsgType.

Reporting of not Allowed CSG Cells

Attention is now turned to the reporting of not allowed CSG cells. Thisembodiment may be related to block 204 of FIG. 2.

As described above with respect to signal strength measurement control,the eNB can configure a measurement report trigger of a UE based onexisting events defined in Release 8, or based on new events. Ifexisting events are used, the reporting trigger might not be based onwhether a neighbor cell belongs to the UE's allowed CSG list. Thus,reporting may be included for ‘not allowed’ CSG cells meeting thecriteria for the existing events.

Different trigger parameters values may be used for allowed andnot-allowed CSG cells. This distinction may be made because themeasurement reporting of allowed CSG cells may be mainly for the purposeof handover, whereas the measurement reporting of not-allowed CSG cellsmay be for the purpose of an interference condition survey by theserving eNB. The values of trigger parameters for not allowed CSG cellsmay be the same or different than those of the macro cell for thepurpose of an interference condition survey. When applying theappropriate measurement reporting triggers, the UE can use its storedfingerprinting information, or information obtained from a priorpreliminary access check, to determine if a detected PCI corresponds toa macro cell, an allowed CSG cell, a hybrid cell, or a not allowed CSGcell.

In a specific embodiment, the ReportConfigEUTRA IE described above withrespect to signal strength measurement control can be further enhanced,as shown in the ReportConfigEUTRA embodiment below. In this case, threeflags are introduced, allowedCsgHybridIndicator, notallowedCsgIndicator, and macroIndicator. These flags may be used toindicate if the reporting configuration applies to allowed CSG or hybridcells, and/or not allowed CSG cells, and/or macro cells, respectively.The UE may use its stored fingerprinting information or informationobtained from a prior preliminary access check to determine if adetected PCI corresponds to an allowed CSG cell, a hybrid cell, or a notallowed CSG cell.

The following is an example of an enhanced ReportConfigEUTRA IE:

TABLE 20 ASN1START ReportConfigEUTRA ::=     SEQUENCE { triggerType           CHOICE {   event              SEQUENCE{   eventId              CHOICE { eventA1 SEQUENCE {  a1-Threshold ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA2 SEQUENCE {  a2-Threshold  ThresholdEUTRA },eventA3 SEQUENCE{  a3-Offset  INTEGER (−30..30),  reportOnLeave  BOOLEAN}, eventA4 SEQUENCE {  a4-Threshold  ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA5 SEQUENCE{  a5-Threshold1  ThresholdEUTRA,  a5-Threshold2  ThresholdEUTRA },eventA6 SEQUENCE {  a6-Offset  INTEGER (−30..30),  reportOnLeave BOOLEAN }, eventA7 SEQUENCE {  a7-Offset  INTEGER (−30..30), reportOnLeave  BOOLEAN }, eventA8 SEQUENCE {  a8-Threshold ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA9 SEQUENCE {  a9-Threshold  ThresholdEUTRA },eventA10 SEQUENCE {  a10-Threshold1  ThresholdEUTRA,  a10-Threshold2 ThresholdEUTRA }, eventA11 SEQUENCE {  a11-Threshold1  ThresholdEUTRA, a11-Threshold2  ThresholdEUTRA }, eventAl2 SEQUENCE {  a12-CsgTypeENUMERATED {Train, Plane, Bus},  a12-Threshold ThresholdEUTRA }, ...        },         hysteresis Hysteresis,         timeToTriggerTimeToTrigger      },      periodical SEQUENCE {         purpose ENUMERATED { reportStrongestCells, reportCGI}      }  }, triggerQuantity  ENUMERATED {rsrp, rsrq},  reportQuantity  ENUMERATED{sameAsTriggerQuantity, both},  maxReportCells  INTEGER(1..maxCellReport),  reportInterval  ReportInterval,  reportAmount ENUMERATED {r1, r2, r4, r8, r16, r32, r64, infinity}, allowedCsgHybridIndicator  BOOLEAN  OPTIONAL,  not allowedCsgIndicator BOOLEAN  OPTIONAL,  macroIndicator  BOOLEAN  OPTIONAL,  csgCellOffset Q-OffsetRange OPTIONAL,  prioritized Report  BOOLEAN  OPTIONAL, maxReportCellsMacro  INTEGER (1..maxCellReportMacro)  OPTIONAL, maxReportCellCSGHybrid INTEGER (1..maxCellReportCSGHybrid) OPTIONAL, maxReportCellCSGHybridPreferred INTEGER (1..maxCellReportCSGHybrid) OPTIONAL,  ... } ThresholdEUTRA ::= CHOICE{  threshold-RSRP RSRP-Range,  threshold-RSRQ  RSRQ-Range } ASN1STOP

The following is an example of ReportConfigEUTRA field descriptions forthe above IE and is also an example of CSG/hybrid cell specificreporting configuration.

TABLE 21 ReportConfigEUTRA field descriptions eventId Choice of E-UTRAevent triggered reporting criteria. aN-ThresholdM Threshold to be usedin EUTRA measurement report triggering condition for event number aN. Ifmultiple thresholds are defined for event number aN, the thresholds aredifferentiated by M. a3-Offset Offset value to be used in EUTRAmeasurement report triggering condition for event a3. The actual valueis IE value * 0.5 dB. reportOnLeave Indicates whether or not the UEshall initiate the measurement reporting procedure when the leavingcondition is met for a cell in cellsTriggeredList, as specified in5.5.4.1. triggerQuantity The quantities used to evaluate the triggeringcondition for the event. The values rsrp and rsrq correspond toReference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal ReceivedQuality (RSRQ), see TS 36.214 [48]. timeToTrigger Time during whichspecific criteria for the event needs to be met in order to trigger ameasurement report. reportQuantity The quantities to be included in themeasurement report. The value both means that both the rsrp and rsrqquantities are to be included in the measurement report. maxReportCellsMax number of cells, excluding the serving cell, to include in themeasurement report. reportAmount Number of measurement reportsapplicable for triggerType ‘event’ as well as for triggerType‘periodical’. In case purpose is set to ‘reportCGI’ only value 1applies. ThresholdEUTRA For RSRP: RSRP based threshold for eventevaluation. For RSRQ: RSRQ based threshold for event evaluation.allowedCsgHybridIndicator Set to ‘True’ to indicate that the reportingconfiguration should be used for allowed CSG cells and hybrid cellswhose CSG ID is in the UE's allowed CSG list. not allowedCsgIndicatorSet to ‘True’ to indicate that the reporting configuration should beused for not allowed CSG cells and hybrid cells whose CSG ID is not inthe UE's allowed CSG list. This field is only included if the eventId isset to eventA3, eventA4 and eventA5. macroIndicator Set to ‘True’ toindicate that the reporting configuration should be used for macrocells. csgCellOffset CSG cell offset applicable to a specificneighboring CSG cell. Value dB − 24 corresponds to −24 dB, dB − 22corresponds to −22 dB and so on. This field is only included ifcsgHybridIndicator is set to ‘True’. prioritizedReporting Set to ‘True’to indicate that prioritized reporting should be used. a12-CsgType Thisis the CSG Type associated with a CSG identity in the UE's allowed CSGLists and this CSG Type can be configured by operator or enterprise.Example of CSG Type includes train, office, campus, etc . . . The CSGtype allows the UE to be configured to perform measurement reportingwhen the UE is in certain environment as specified by a12-CsgType.maxReportCellsMacro Max number of macro cells, excluding the servingcell, to include in the measurement report. maxReportCellsCSGHybrid Maxnumber of CSG or hybrid cells, excluding the serving cell, to include inthe measurement report. maxReportCellsCSGHybridPreferred Max number ofCSG or hybrid cells whose CSG IDs are in the UE's allowed CSG list,excluding the serving cell, to include in the measurement report.

Macro eNB Triggered Measurement

Attention is now turned to macro eNB triggered measurement. Thisembodiment may be related to block 204 of FIG. 2.

Because a UE may not have stored fingerprinting information of a CSGcell that has just been powered on, the CSG cell might not be in theUE's list of allowed CSG cells or preferred CSG cells. In this case, thereporting configuration and trigger events, described above, that applyto allowed CSG cells might not be used by the UE to trigger measurementreporting of the newly powered-on CSG cell. The reporting configurationand trigger events are described above with respect to signal strengthmeasurement control and with respect to measurement reporting of notallowed CSG cells. In one implementation, when a HeNB registers with theMME (for example, because it has just been powered on), the MME caninform one or more eNBs of the information of the newly powered-on HeNB.Examples of such information include, but are not limited to, PCI, CGI,CSG ID, and access mode. The eNB can then specifically instruct a UE toperform measurement reporting of a particular neighbor CSG cell usingthe reporting configuration and trigger criteria specified for allowedCSG cells. This may be beneficial because the MME may not be aware ofthe relative locations and coverages of the eNB and the HeNB, and hencemay inform an eNB which has no overlapping coverage with the HeNB. Thisembodiment allows an eNB to attempt to confirm whether or not the HeNBmay be a candidate cell for handovers for UEs being served by the eNB.

Similarly, the UE may not have stored fingerprinting information of ahybrid cell that has just been powered on. In this case, the reportingconfiguration and trigger events described above that apply to hybridcells might not be used by the UE to trigger measurement reporting ofthe newly powered-on hybrid cell. To address this issue, the eNB mayspecifically instruct a UE to perform measurement reporting of aparticular neighbor hybrid cell using the reporting configuration andtrigger criteria specified for hybrid cells.

In addition, the eNB may also instruct the UE to perform handoverevaluation on the newly powered-on CSG or hybrid cell. The methodsdescribed above can be used by the eNB to indicate the newly powered-onCSG or hybrid cell on which the UE should perform handover evaluation,as well as the corresponding measurement identify and associatedreporting configuration.

The methods described above apply not just to newly powered-on CSG orhybrid cells, or subsequent to notification of a HeNB by an MME to aneNB, but can also be applied in other cases. In another case, the eNBmay want a UE to perform a measurement report of a neighbor cell forpurposes such as interference survey, e.g. triggered by highinterference received at the eNB; or the eNB is aware that the UE doesnot have stored fingerprinting information of a CSG or hybrid cell.

The MeasObjectEUTRA of Release 8 may be enhanced to include the list ofCSG cells that the eNB instructs the UE to perform measurement reportingand/or handover evaluation. An example of such an enhancedMeasObjectEUTRA IE is shown below:

TABLE 22 -- ASN1START MeasObjectEUTRA ::= SEQUENCE {  carrierFreqARFCN-ValueEUTRA,  allowedMeasBandwidth AllowedMeasBandwidth, presenceAntennaPort1 PresenceAntennaPort1,  neighCellConfigNeighCellConfig,  offsetFreq Q-OffsetRange DEFAULT dB0,  -- Neighborcell list  cellsToRemoveList CellIndexList OPTIONAL, -- Need ON cellsToAddModList CellsToAddModList OPTIONAL, -- Need ON  -- Black list blackCellsToRemoveList CellIndexList OPTIONAL, -- Need ON blackCellsToAddModList BlackCellsToAddModList OPTIONAL, -- Need ON cellForWhichToReportCGI PhysCellId OPTIONAL, -- Need ON allowedCsgHybridCellsToMeasureList AllowedCsgHybridCellsToMeasureList OPTIONal, -- Need ON  hybridCellsToMeasureList HybridCellsToMeasureListOPTIONAL, -- Need ON  ... } CellsToAddModList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxCellMeas)) OF CellsToAddMod CellsToAddMod ::= SEQUENCE { cellIndex INTEGER (1..maxCellMeas),  physCellId PhysCellId, cellIndividualOffset Q-OffsetRange }BlackCellsToAddModList::=SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxCellMeas))OFBlackCellsToAddMod BlackCellsToAddMod ::= SEQUENCE {  cellIndexINTEGER (1..maxCellMeas),  physCellIdRange PhysCellIdRange }AllowedCsgHybridCellsToMeasureList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxCsgCellMeas)) OF  AllowedCsgHybridCellsToMeasureAllowedCsgHybridCellsToMeasure ::= SEQUENCE {  cellIndex INTEGER(1..maxCsgCellMeas),  physCellId PhysCellId, } HybridCellsToMeasureList::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxCsgCellMeas)) OF HybridCellsToMeasureHybridCellsToMeasure ::=   SEQUENCE {  cellIndex       INTEGER(1..maxCsgCellMeas),  physCellId      PhysCellId } -- ASN1STOP

An example of field descriptions for the above MeasObjectEUTRA IE isprovided below. These exemplary field descriptions may be used toindicate the specific CSG cells for which the UE should performmeasurement reporting.

TABLE 23 MeasObjectEUTRA field descriptions carrierFreq IdentifiesE-UTRA carrier frequency for which this configuration is valid.offsetFreq Offset value applicable to the carrier frequency. Value dB −24 corresponds to −24 dB, dB − 22 corresponds to −22 dB and so on.cellsToRemoveList List of cells to remove from the neighboring celllist. cellsToAddModList List of cells to add/modify in the neighboringcell list. cellIndex Entry index in the neighboring cell list. An entrymay concern a range of cells, in which case this value applies to theentire range. physCellId Physical cell identity of a cell in neighboringcell list. cellIndividualOffset Cell individual offset applicable to aspecific neighboring cell. Value dB − 24 corresponds to −24 dB, dB − 22corresponds to −22 dB and so on. blackCellsToRemoveList List of cells toremove from the black list of cells. blackCellsToAddMoList List of cellsto add/modify in the black list of cells. physCellIdRange Physical cellidentity or a range of physical cell identities of cells in the blacklist. allowedCsgHybridCellsToMeasureList List of CSG cells that the UEshould perform measurement reporting based on reporting configurationspecified for allowed CSG cells or hybrid cells whose CSG IDs are in theUE's allowed CSG list. This does not prohibit a UE from performingmeasurement reporting on CSG cells and hybrid cells that are notincluded in this list. hybridCellsToMeasureList List of hybrid cellsthat the UE should perform measurement reporting based on reportingconfiguration specified for hybrid cells whose CSG IDs are not in theUE's allowed CSG list. This does not prohibit a UE from performingmeasurement reporting on hybrid cells that are not included in thislist.

In the case where the eNB instructs the UE to perform handoverevaluation on a specific CSG or hybrid cell, such as a newly powered-onCSG or hybrid cell, the specific CSG or hybrid cell may be included inthe allowedCsgHybridCellsToMeasureList above. The UE may use thereporting configuration that corresponds to allowed CSG cells or hybridcells whose CSG IDs are in the UE's allowed CSG list, when determiningif handover evaluation and reporting should be performed on the CSG cellor hybrid cell respectively. In the case where the eNB instructs the UEto perform handover evaluation on a specific hybrid cell, such as anewly powered-on hybrid cell, the specific hybrid cell may be includedin the hybridCellsToMeasureList described above. The UE may use thereporting configuration that corresponds to hybrid cells whose CSG IDsare not in the UE's allowed CSG list, when determining if handoverevaluation and reporting should be performed on the hybrid cell.

FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating a process of configuring andtransmitting measurement reporting criteria, according to an embodimentof the disclosure. The process shown in FIG. 3A may be implemented in anetwork device, such as access node 110 and access node 140, or RN 120of FIG. 1, or in a device such as that shown in system 715 in FIG. 7.

The process begins as the network device configures measurementreporting criteria for different types of cells (block 300A). Thenetwork device then transmits, using a processor, the measurementreporting criteria to one or more user equipments (UEs) (block 300B).The process terminates thereafter.

FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating a process of informing a networkcomponent of a UE's CSG capability, according to an embodiment of thedisclosure. The process shown in FIG. 3B may be implemented in a UE,such as UEs 130 of FIG. 1, or in a device such as that shown in system715 in FIG. 7.

The process begins as the UE informs a network component of a closedsubscriber group (CSG) capability of the user equipment (UE) (block300B). The process terminates thereafter.

FIG. 3C is a flowchart illustrating a process of using a CSG type whenperforming and/or reporting measurements, according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure. The process shown in FIG. 3B may be implemented in a UE,such as UEs 130 of FIG. 1, or in a device such as that shown in system715 in FIG. 7.

The process begins as the UE uses a closed subscriber group (CSG) typefor a cell when performing and/or reporting measurements (block 300C).The process terminates thereafter.

FIG. 3D is a flowchart illustrating a process of causing a UE todetermine whether to include a list of cells in a measurement report,according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The process shown in FIG.3D may be implemented in a network device, such as access node 110 andaccess node 140, or RN 120 of FIG. 1, or in a device such as that shownin system 715 in FIG. 7.

The process begins as the network device generates and transmits amessage to a user equipment (UE), wherein the message is configured tocause the UE to determine whether to include a list of cells in ameasurement report based on one or more parameters (block 300D). Theprocess terminates thereafter.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of directing a UE toperform a handover evaluation of one or more cells, according to anembodiment of the disclosure. The process shown in FIG. 4 may beimplemented in a network device, such as access node 110 and access node140, or RN 120 of FIG. 1, or in a device such as that shown in system715 in FIG. 7.

The process begins as the network device transmits a message to a userequipment (UE), wherein the message is configured to direct the UE toperform a handover evaluation of one or more cells (block 400). Theprocess terminates thereafter.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of generating a measurementreport to include information related to CSGs and hybrid cells,according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The process shown in FIG.5 may be implemented in a UE, such as UEs 130 of FIG. 1, or in a devicesuch as that shown in system 715 in FIG. 7.

The process begins as the UE generates a measurement report to includeinformation related to at least one of a closed subscriber group (CSG)cell and a hybrid cell (block 500). The process terminates thereafter.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of instructing a UE toperform measurement reporting with regard to a (possibly newly)available network device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.The process shown in FIG. 6 may be implemented in a network device, suchas access node 110 and access node 140, or RN 120 of FIG. 1, or in adevice such as that shown in system 715 in FIG. 7.

The process begins as the network device receives an indication that asecond network device is available (block 600). The network device thentransmits a message to a user equipment (UE) instructing the UE toperform measurement reporting with regard to the second network device(block 602). The process terminates thereafter.

The UE and other components described above might include a processingcomponent that is capable of executing instructions related to theactions described above. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a system 715that includes a processing component, such as processor 710, suitablefor implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein. In additionto the processor 710 (which may be referred to as a central processorunit or CPU), the system 715 might include network connectivity devices720, random access memory (RAM) 730, read only memory (ROM) 740,secondary storage 750, and input/output (I/O) devices 760. Thesecomponents might communicate with one another via a bus 770. In somecases, some of these components may not be present or may be combined invarious combinations with one another or with other components notshown. These components might be located in a single physical entity orin more than one physical entity. Any actions described herein as beingtaken by the processor 710 might be taken by the processor 710 alone orby the processor 710 in conjunction with one or more components shown ornot shown in the drawing, such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 790.Although the DSP 790 is shown as a separate component, the DSP 790 mightbe incorporated into the processor 710.

The processor 710 executes instructions, codes, computer programs, orscripts that it might access from the network connectivity devices 720,RAM 730, ROM 740, or secondary storage 750 (which might include variousdisk-based systems such as hard disk, floppy disk, or optical disk).While only one CPU 710 is shown, multiple processors may be present.Thus, while instructions may be discussed as being executed by aprocessor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially, orotherwise by one or multiple processors. The processor 710 may beimplemented as one or more CPU chips.

The network connectivity devices 720 may take the form of modems, modembanks, Ethernet devices, universal serial bus (USB) interface devices,serial interfaces, token ring devices, fiber distributed data interface(FDDI) devices, wireless local area network (WLAN) devices, radiotransceiver devices such as code division multiple access (CDMA)devices, global system for mobile communications (GSM) radio transceiverdevices, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX)devices, and/or other well-known devices for connecting to networks.These network connectivity devices 720 may enable the processor 710 tocommunicate with the Internet or one or more telecommunications networksor other networks from which the processor 710 might receive informationor to which the processor 710 might output information. The networkconnectivity devices 720 might also include one or more transceivercomponents 725 capable of transmitting and/or receiving data wirelessly.

The RAM 730 might be used to store volatile data and perhaps to storeinstructions that are executed by the processor 710. The ROM 740 is anon-volatile memory device that typically has a smaller memory capacitythan the memory capacity of the secondary storage 750. ROM 740 might beused to store instructions and perhaps data that are read duringexecution of the instructions. Access to both RAM 730 and ROM 740 istypically faster than to secondary storage 750. The secondary storage750 is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or tape drives andmight be used for non-volatile storage of data or as an over-flow datastorage device if RAM 730 is not large enough to hold all working data.Secondary storage 750 may be used to store programs that are loaded intoRAM 730 when such programs are selected for execution.

The I/O devices 760 may include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), touchscreen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches, dials, mice, track balls,voice recognizers, card readers, paper tape readers, printers, videomonitors, or other well-known input/output devices. Also, thetransceiver 725 might be considered to be a component of the I/O devices760 instead of or in addition to being a component of the networkconnectivity devices 720.

The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties:

-   R2-095342, “Draft CR capturing HeNB inbound mobility agreements,”    Motorola, Deutsche Telekom, Interdigital, Qualcomm, Vodafone,    Telecom-Italia, Nokia-Siemens Networks, Panasonic, August 2009.-   R2-094632, “[66b#5] UMTSLTE: Inbound CSG mobility LTE,” Motorola    (Rapporteur), August 2009.-   R2-094820, “UMTSLTE: Inbound CSG mobility UMTS,” Qualcomm    (Rapporteur), August 2009.-   R2-094808, “[66b#6] UMTS-LTE: Hybrid cells,” Email Discussion    Rapporteur (Qualcomm), August 2009.-   R2-094651, “Measurements to support handover to CSG and Hybrid    cells,” Motorola, August 2009.-   R2-094767, “Handover evaluation to CSG cell,” ZTE, August 2009.-   3GPP TS 36.331, v8.6.0, “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access    (E-UTRA) Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification    (Release 8),” June 2009.-   3GPP TS 36.304, v8.6.0, “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access    (E-UTRA); User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode (Release 8),”    June 2009.-   3GPP TS 25.304, v8.6.0, “User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode    and procedures for cell reselection in connected mode (Release 8),”    June 2009.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processor toconfigure measurement reporting criteria for different types of cells,and further to transmit the measurement reporting criteria to one ormore user equipments (UEs). The network component may comprise anEvolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network Node B (eNB). Thedifferent types of cells may comprise one or more of the groupconsisting of: a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell, a hybrid cell, aCSG cell associated with a geographical location, a CSG cell in a highmobility environment, and a macro cell. The processor may configure thedifferent measurement reporting criteria, wherein the differentmeasurement reporting criteria may comprise one or more of the groupconsisting of: a parameter relating to one of a Reference SignalReceived Power (RSRP) threshold and a Reference Signal Received Quality(RSRQ) threshold, a filter coefficient value relating to one of a RSRPmeasurement and an RSRQ measurement, a cell type, a closed subscribergroup (CSG) cell type, and an indication of a level of UE mobility. Theprocessor may transmit multiple measurement reporting criteria to asingle UE, wherein the multiple measurement reporting criteria areconfigured in multiple measurement identities.

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a processorconfigured to inform a network component of a closed subscriber group(CSG) capability of the UE. The processor may inform the networkcomponent during capability exchange signaling. The processor may informthe network whether the UE is capable of detecting a CSG cell andwhether the UE is a member of at least one CSG. The processor mayreceive a configured measurement reporting criteria from the networkcomponent, and the processor may configure the UE according to themeasurement reporting criteria.

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a processorconfigured to use a closed subscriber group (CSG) type for a cell whenperforming and reporting measurements. The processor may map a CSGidentification (ID) of a CSG cell to a CSG type of the CSG cell. Theprocessor may check the CSG identification (ID) of a neighbor cell andverify if the CSG ID is provisioned for a particular CSG type in a CSGlist stored in the UE, and the processor may transmit a measurementreport if the check is positive and if other existing configuredmeasurement reporting criteria are met. The cell may be at least one ofa serving cell and a neighbor cell. The type may indicate at least oneof a capability of the cell and an expected usage of the cell. The typemay be associated with a physical layer identity.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processorconfigured to generate and transmit a message to a user equipment (UE).The message may be configured to cause the UE to determine whether tosend a measurement report to the network component based on whether oneor more cells belong to one or more lists of Closed Subscriber Groups(CSGs). The processor may generate and transmit a message to a userequipment (UE), the message may cause the UE to determine whether toinclude a list of cells in a measurement report based on one or moreparameters. The one or more parameters may comprise at least one of alist of cells for which the UE receives the strongest signals, apriority level of a set of cells which the UE can detect, and acombination thereof. The one or more parameters may comprise at leastone of a list of macro cells for which the UE receives the strongestsignals, a list of closed subscriber group (CSG) cells for which the UEreceives the strongest signals, a list of hybrid cells for which the UEreceives the strongest signals, and a combination thereof. The one ormore parameters may comprise a neighbor cell signal strength thresholdbelow which the UE shall not include a cell in the measurement report.

In an embodiment, a method may be implemented a network component, themethod may comprise configuring, using a processor, measurementreporting criteria for different types of cells; and transmitting, usinga processor, the measurement reporting criteria to one or more userequipments (UEs).

In an embodiment, a method may be implemented in a user equipment (UE),the method may comprise informing, using a processor, a networkcomponent of a closed subscriber group (CSG) capability of the UE.

In an embodiment, a method may be implemented in a user equipment (UE),the method may comprise using, by a processor, a closed subscriber group(CSG) type for a cell when performing and reporting measurements.

In an embodiment, a method may be implemented in a network component,the method may comprise generating and transmitting, with a processor, amessage to a user equipment (UE), wherein the message is configured tocause the UE to determine whether to include a list of cells in ameasurement report based on one or more parameters.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processorconfigured to transmit a message to a user equipment (UE), the messagemay direct the UE to perform a handover evaluation one or more cellsneighboring the network component. The processor may receive from the UEa measurement report of one or more members of the group, and theprocessor may determine whether the one or more members are closedsubscriber group (CSG) cells based on physical cell identity (PCI)values included in the measurement report. The determination may bebased on a PCI split. The message may be based on at least one of asignal strength of a neighbor cell previously reported by the UE,whether the network component has stored closed subscriber group (CSG)cell related information of a neighbor cell that maps to an identifiedphysical cell identify (PCI), and CSG neighbor cell information receivedfrom a mobility management entity (MME). The message may be based on aninference from measurement reports provided by the UE and a measurementconfiguration applicable to the UE. The message may be based on at leastone of 1) whether a neighbor CSG cell is in a preferred or allowed CSGlist of the UE and 2) whether a neighbor CSG cell is in an area thatcorresponds to a CSG type. The message may be based on a neighbor cellnot being in a CSG list of the UE. The message may instruct the UE toperform the handover evaluation on a cell without a prior signalstrength report from the UE. Autonomous gaps may be used for thehandover evaluation. A corresponding physical cell identify (PCI) ofeach neighbor cell may be included in an information element transmittedto the UE. The message may be further configured to instruct the UEregarding which neighbor cells the UE should perform the handoverevaluation for. The message may be further configured to instruct the UEto perform the handover evaluation for a particular number of cells forwhich the UE received the strongest signal strengths. Scheduled gaps maybe used for the handover evaluation. The processor may inform the UE ofat least one of radio frames or radio sub-frames used for the handoverevaluation. The message may be further configured to direct the UE toconsider the scheduled gaps for a particular neighbor cell to bereleased after the UE has acquired a master information block (MIB) anda system information block (SIB)-1.

In an embodiment a method may be implemented in a network component, themethod may comprise transmitting, using a processor, a message to a userequipment (UE), the message may be configured to direct the UE toperform a handover evaluation one or more cells neighboring the networkcomponent.

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a processorconfigured to generate a measurement report to include informationrelated to at least one of a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell and ahybrid cell. The processor may generate the measurement report toinclude an indication whether a particular neighbor cell measured by theUE belongs to an allowed CSG. The processor may generate the measurementreport to include an indication whether a particular neighbor cellmeasured by the UE belongs to a preferred CSG. The processor maygenerate the measurement report to include an indication whether aparticular neighbor cell measured by the UE belongs to one of aparticular provisioned area and a particular provisioned environment.The processor may generate the measurement report to include anindication whether a particular neighbor cell measured by the UE belongsto a type of CSG. The measurement report may report a CSG identity (ID)of a neighbor cell if the neighbor cell is one of the CSG cell and thehybrid cell. The measurement report may include an indication of whethera neighbor cell is a CSG cell or hybrid cell. The processor may generatethe measurement report to include an indication of whether informationrelated to the at least one of the CSG cell and the hybrid cell isobtained based on a handover evaluation performed within a predefinedduration prior to when the measurement report is sent. The processor mayavoid placing handover preparation information of a cell in themeasurement report when the handover preparation information is obtainedoutside of the predefined duration. The predefined duration may bereceived from the network component. The processor may assign a prioritylevel to a CSG cell entry in an allowed CSG list stored in the UE, andthe processor may transmit the priority level of the CSG cell entry to anetwork component. The processor may assign the priority level based ona type of the CSG cell associated with the CSG cell entry.

In an embodiment, a method may be implemented in a user equipment (UE),the method may comprise generating, with a processor, a measurementreport to include information related to at least one of a closedsubscriber group (CSG) cell and a hybrid cell.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processor,configured to receive one or more triggers and thereafter to transmit amessage to a user equipment (UE) instructing the UE to performmeasurement reporting with regard to a second network component. Thenetwork component may comprise a macro network component and the secondnetwork component may comprise one of a home evolved universalterrestrial radio access network component (HeNB), a microcell networkcomponent, and a femtocell network component. The message may furtherinstruct the UE to perform measurement reporting of a particularneighbor closed subscriber group (CSG) cell using reportingconfiguration and trigger criteria specified for allowed CSG cells. Themessage may further instruct the UE to perform measurement reporting ofa particular neighbor hybrid cell using reporting configuration andtrigger criteria specified for hybrid cells. The one or more triggersmay include an indication that the second network component has becomeavailable. The one or more triggers may include an indication that theUE does not contain fingerprinting information of a CSG or hybrid cell.The one or more triggers may include an indication that the outer cellinterference received at the network component is high. The secondnetwork component may have become available because the second networkcomponent is powered on. The message may further instruct the UE toperform handover evaluation of the second network component.

In an embodiment, a method may be implemented in a network component,the method may comprise receiving, by a processor, an indication that asecond network component has become available; and thereaftertransmitting, by a processor, a message to a user equipment (UE)instructing the UE to perform measurement reporting with regard to thesecond network component.

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a processorconfigured to inform a network component of a closed subscriber group(CSG) capability of the UE.

In an embodiment, a method comprising may comprise informing a networkcomponent, by a user equipment (UE) of a closed subscriber group (CSG)capability of the UE.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processorconfigured to receive a closed subscriber group (CSG) capability from auser equipment (UE).

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise an allowed closedsubscriber group (CSG) list; and a processor, configured to receive atrigger to perform a measurement of at least one cell, wherein themeasurement comprises acquiring a CSG identity (ID) of the cell, if thecell broadcasts the CSG ID determining whether the CSG ID is in theallowed CSG list; and indicating whether the UE is a member of the cellin a measurement report.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processorconfigured to transmit a trigger to a user equipment (UE) to performmeasurement of a cell, wherein the trigger is configured to direct theUE to perform a handover evaluation of one or more neighboring cells.

In an embodiment, a method may comprise receiving at a user equipment(UE) a trigger to perform a measurement of at least one cell, whereinthe measurement comprises acquiring a closed subscriber group (CSG)identity (ID) of the cell, if the cell broadcasts the CSG ID;determining whether the CSG ID is in an allowed CSG list; and indicatingwhether the UE is a member of the cell in a measurement report.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processor,configured to receive one or more triggers and thereafter to transmit amessage to a user equipment (UE) instructing the UE to performmeasurement reporting with regard to a second network component.

In an embodiment, a method may comprise receiving, by a networkcomponent, an indication that a second network component has becomeavailable; and thereafter transmitting, by the network component, amessage to a user equipment (UE) instructing the UE to performmeasurement reporting with regard to the second network component,wherein the network component comprises a macro network component andwherein the second network component comprises one of a home evolveduniversal terrestrial radio access network component (HeNB), a microcellnetwork component, and a femtocell network component.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processor,configured to transmit a trigger to a user equipment (UE) to perform ameasurement of at least one cell; wherein the measurement comprises:acquiring a closed subscriber group (CSG) identity (ID) of the cell, ifthe cell broadcasts the CSG ID; determining whether the CSG ID is in theallowed CSG list; and indicating whether the UE is a member of the cellin a measurement report.

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a processor,configured to receive a measurement reporting criteria comprising atleast one signal strength criterion; and an allowed closed subscribergroup (CSG) list.

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a processorconfigured to generate a measurement report to include informationrelated to at least one of a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell and ahybrid cell.

In an embodiment, a method may comprise receiving, by a user equipment(UE) a measurement reporting criteria comprising at least one signalstrength criterion; and sending a measurement report comprisingmeasurement results of a CSG cell when the at least one signal strengthcriterion of the CSG cell are met and the CSG cell is in an allowed CSGlist.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processor,configured to: transmit a measurement reporting criteria comprising atleast one signal strength criterion; and receive a measurement reportcomprising measurement results of a CSG cell when the at least onesignal strength criterion of the CSG cell are met and the CSG cell is inan allowed closed subscriber group (CSG) list of a user equipment (UE).

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a processorconfigured to receive a measurement configuration comprising differentmeasurement reporting criteria for different types of cells.

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a processorconfigured to receive a measurement configuration comprising one or moremeasurement identities for: signal quality measurement, or performingsystem information reading and CSG information acquisition.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processor toconfigured to transmit a measurement configuration comprising differentmeasurement reporting criteria for different types of cells.

In an embodiment, a network component may comprise a processorconfigured to transmit a measurement configuration comprising one ormore measurement identities for: signal quality measurement, orperforming system information reading and closed subscriber group (CSG)information acquisition.

In an embodiment, a method may comprise receiving at a user equipment(UE) a measurement configuration comprising different measurementreporting criteria for different types of cells, wherein each of theplurality of cells corresponds to one of a plurality of cell types, andwherein the different types of cells comprises at least one of the groupconsisting of: a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell, a hybrid cell, aCSG cell associated with a geographical location, a CSG cell in a highmobility environment, and a macro cell.

In an embodiment, a method may comprise receiving at a user equipment ameasurement configuration comprising one or more measurement identitiesfor: signal quality measurement, or performing system informationreading, and CSG information acquisition; and performing systeminformation reading and CSG information acquisition on a cell whenindicated in one of the measurement identities.

The embodiments contemplate one or more computer readable media. Theterm “computer readable medium” refers to a tangible storage devicewhich can store data and from which a processor or other electronicdevice may read data. However, the embodiments may also be embodied ontransmission media, such as carrier waves. The embodiments may also beimplemented in the form of a processor configured to perform thetechniques described herein. A processor may be configured to perform atechnique either by programming the processor with software, byphysically designing a processor to perform a particular function, suchas in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), orby using other techniques well known to those skilled in the art.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spiritor scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is notto be limited to the details given herein. For example, the variouselements or components may be combined or integrated in another systemor certain features may be omitted, or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled orcommunicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicatingthrough some interface, device, or intermediate component, whetherelectrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes,substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in theart and could be made without departing from the spirit and scopedisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented in a user equipment (UE),the method comprising: storing an allowed closed subscriber group (CSG)list; receiving a measurement reporting criterion from a networkcomponent, the measurement reporting criterion specifying a signalstrength criterion including a reference signal received power (RSRP)threshold, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold, orboth, and a prioritized reporting indicator that indicates whether CSGcells that do not have a best detected RSRP value or a best detectedRSRQ value are permitted for reporting in measurement reports;determining whether a CSG cell is a member of the allowed CSG list;determining if at least one of the RSRP threshold or the RSRQ thresholdis met with respect to the CSG cell; and upon determining that at leastone of the RSRP threshold or the RSRQ threshold is met with respect tothe CSG cell and regardless of whether the CSG cell is a member of theallowed CSG list: (i) generating a measurement report that includesmeasurement results of the CSG cell and an indication of whether or notthe CSG cell is a member of the allowed CSG list and (ii) sending themeasurement report to the network component.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the measurement reporting criterion further specifies a maximumnumber of non-CSG cells that can be included in the measurement report.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the measurement report includesmeasurement results associated with said maximum number of non-CSGcells.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating andsending the measurement report to the network component upon determiningthat the CSG cell is not a member of the allowed CSG list anddetermining that at least one of the RSRP threshold or the RSRQthreshold is met with respect to the CSG cell, wherein the indicationincluded in the measurement report indicates that the CSG cell is not amember of the allowed CSG list.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein themeasurement report is further generated according to the prioritizedreporting indicator.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritizedreporting indicator further specifies a preferred CSG list membership tocause the UE to include a CSG cell that does not have a strongestdetected RSRP value or a strongest detected RSRQ value in themeasurement report based on a preference for the CSG cell that does nothave the strongest detected RSRP value or the strongest detected RSRQvalue.
 7. A method implemented in a network component, the methodcomprising: generating a measurement reporting criterion that specifiesa signal strength criterion including a reference signal received power(RSRP) threshold, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold,or both, and a prioritized reporting indicator that indicates whetherCSG cells that do not have a best detected RSRP value or a best detectedRSRQ value are permitted for reporting in measurement reports; sendingthe measurement reporting criterion to a user equipment (UE); andreceiving from the UE a measurement report associated with a closedsubscriber group (CSG) cell, wherein the measurement report that isreceived includes an indication of whether or not the CSG cell is amember of an allowed CSG list and measurement results of the CSG cellregardless of whether the CSG cell is a member of the allowed CSG list.8. The method of claim 7, wherein the measurement reporting criterionfurther specifies a maximum number of non-CSG cells that can be includedin the measurement report.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein themeasurement report that is received by the network component includesmeasurement results associated with said maximum number of non-CSGcells.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the network component isconfigured to receive the measurement report upon the UE determiningthat at least one of the RSRP threshold or the RSRQ threshold is metwith respect to the CSG cell.
 11. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising sending the UE instructions to acquire a closed subscribergroup (CSG) identity (ID) of the CSG cell, if the CSG cell broadcaststhe CSG ID.
 12. A method implemented in a network component, the methodcomprising: generating a measurement reporting criterion that specifiesa signal strength criterion including a reference signal received power(RSRP) threshold, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold,or both, and a prioritized reporting indicator that indicates whetherCSG cells that do not have a best detected RSRP value or a best detectedRSRQ value are permitted for reporting in measurement reports; andinstructing the user equipment (UE) to send the network component ameasurement report if at least one of the RSRP threshold or the RSRQthreshold is met with respect to a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell,the measurement report including an indication of whether or not the CSGcell is a member of an allowed CSG list and measurement results of theCSG cell regardless of whether the CSG cell is a member of the allowedCSG list.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the measurement reportingcriterion further specifies a maximum number of non-CSG cells that canbe included in the measurement report.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the measurement report that is received, relative to sending ofthe measurement reporting criterion, includes measurement resultsassociated with said maximum number of non-CSG cells.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the network component is configured to receive themeasurement report upon the UE determining that the CSG cell is a memberof the allowed CSG list and that at least one of the RSRP threshold orthe RSRQ threshold is met with respect to the CSG cell.
 16. The methodof claim 12, wherein instructing the UE to send the network componentthe measurement report is such that if at least one of the RSRPthreshold or the RSRQ threshold is met with respect to the CSG cell, thenetwork component instructs the UE to send the measurement report to thenetwork component regardless of whether the CSG cell is or is not amember of the allowed CSG list.